The Legend of the Green Lady (Remastered)
by FuzzyBeta
Summary: When Ariel's brother is cursed by a witch there is only one way to save him. She must find the one ring and destroy the evil Sauron. There's just one hitch. First, she must help one hobbit and thirteen Dwarves reclaim their kingdom from a deadly dragon's claws. Oh and look, there's also elves, witches, Orcs, Wargs, and a Necromancer. Won't this be fun? Thorin/OC Rated T(remastered)
1. An Unexpected Journey

**TADAA! HERE WE ARE! the beginning of the fanfic.**

 **Just a couple of thing's i'd like to go over before we start.**

 **First off the usual disclaimers. Don't own anything from Peter Jackson's movies or the original hobbit book by JRR tolkien.**

 **To old readers of the original fic, welcome back. It's good to be writing for you again. This fic is a remastering of the old fic (also titled _The Legend of The Green Lady)._ I personally felt that after being positively stuck for over a year of hiatus it needed an overhaul and upgrade so here it is.**

 **To those who are new to this story, welcome and i hope you enjoy reading it.**

 **Now let's get started shall we :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: An Unexpected Journey**

 _A wise old Wizard once told me that extraordinary things happen to extraordinary people._

 _But here's the catch. I am not really that extraordinary by any stretch of the imagination._

 _I'm the daughter of Calvin and Nora Brooks. My father was a carpenter and my mother was a florist who ran her own flower shop._

 _I also have a brother Ian who is older than me by four years. He was studying to be a lawyer and used to work at the public library, which I sometimes used to volunteer at._

 _Not that I ever wanted to be a librarian…_

 _I often thought I'd go into botany or become a florist or even become a gardener._

 _I never imagined that I would be swept away into the land of Middle Earth and forced into battles and crazy adventures over mountains, rivers and sweeping plains._

 _Yes._

 _I said Middle Earth._

 _The same Middle Earth that was created by J.R.R Tolkien._

 _The same Middle Earth which is home to humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and probably every single other crazy creature that ever existed in fantasy fiction that has ever existed._

 _You all might ask me am I high on some form of crack? You might ask me if I'm playing April fools. But I'm not joking._

 _I really am in Middle Earth_

 _How did I get here you might ask?_

 _Well…that's a pretty long story…_

 _And like all good stories, it starts like this:_

 _Once upon a time, there was a seventeen-year-old girl named Ariel Rosalie Myrtle Brooks…_

* * *

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A young woman winced in her sleep as her alarm clock blared loudly beside her on her bedside table.

Without opening her brown-green hazel eyes her arm automatically slid out from beneath the tropical green comforter. With a hard whack, her fingers slapped randomly at the buttons on the top of the device, the sounds from it growing louder with every extra beep.

Eventually after a couple of moments of slapping and slamming over the hard surface she managed to press the right button, which yielded at once to her touch before it shut up.

"Finally," the girl groaned her head lifting up groggily from her pillow. She tried to squint at the clock but her dark red-russet hair was in the way of her light brown eyes.

 _Jesus is it that late already?_

She brushed back her hair, blinking hard as she tried to adjust herself to the light about her. The sun was shining, making her light beige skin take on a slightly golden sheen as she sat up in bed stretching out her limbs.

"Ariel!" a woman's voice called from outside her room door. "Ariel get up it's time for breakfast"

Ariel pinched the bridge of her nose as she yawned, doing her best to fight away the sleep that was threatening to engulf her again. She could not help it. Her bed was so soft and warm and comfortable. She could gladly fall back in its snuggly depths and remain there for all eternity.

But unfortunately for her fate had other plans, one of them just so happening to barge into her room at that very moment.

It was a young man. He was tall, lean and healthy, with dark coffee coloured skin and a shaved head of black hair that set off his eyes, which like Ariel's were a clear hazel with a slight upwards tilt.

"AH! The creature lives!"

He grinned wolfishly as he looked over the younger girl in the bed who glowered sleepily up at him before looking at the door.

"Ian seriously shut up. We're already late and I'm not in the mood,"

"You mean you're really late" Ian snorted standing to the side to allow his younger sister to get to her wardrobe. "I've been ready for half an hour"

"Well whoop-tee-freakin'-do!" Ariel rolled her eyes as she pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans and a loose dark green shirt and began to get dressed.

"Oh don't get like that Airy-fairy" Ian shook his head fondly "We're only going to stack shelves. Not trek over the whole world."

"I bloody hope so. Or else I'm quitting" Ariel grunted as she pulled on her clean shirt and brushed out her hair, tying it quickly in a small braid to the side.

"Quit? You haven't even started anything yet. Come on Airy. It'll be fun. An adventure. We'll have a blast" Ian chuckled as he made to exit only for his sister to call out after him.

"Yeah, because swimming in a sea of by books is such an adventure! Seriously" she muttered when she heard his footsteps as he descended the staircase.

"It's a goddamn library. Just how fun can it possibly be?"

* * *

 _Ok…I will admit…this isn't so bad_

Ariel found herself rolling her eyes to herself as she stood in the middle of an isle made up of two high and long bookshelves. Beside her was a large trolley laden with books of various shapes, sizes and colours.

She had been replacing returned books on shelves for almost an hour now but she had to admit it wasn't as boring as she would've originally thought.

For one thing the books she was putting back too were all of many different sorts and many had odd or amusing titles. Of course, there was nothing entertaining about the classics, and many of the non-fiction books were rather bland in appearance. But still it was always fun trying to find their spots by racing her brother down the mostly empty pathways between bookshelves on the back of the trolley.

But that fun had ended half an hour ago, when her brother Ian had been called away to assist a patron at the front desk.

Ariel was just finishing squeezing a very worn copy of _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_ by Jules Verne, when she heard someone cough from beside her.

She quickly turned her head and saw to her surprise an old woman standing behind her, looking up at her with cold beady black eyes as she rasped.

"Excuse me my dear, but could you please help me find a book? I would ask the nice young man at the counter but he's busy with someone else"

"Of course. Why don't I take you to the computer and we can do a search" Ariel politely nodded to the old woman who gave her a crooked smile.

"Thank you my dear"

The old lady's voice was as harsh as a crows squawk and as scratchy as nails over a chalk board. Even her soft rattling breaths made the hairs stand up on the back of the younger girl's neck.

 _She's just a lonely old lady who probably doesn't speak to anyone that much_

Ariel tried to reason as she led the old woman to one of the machines and set up the search for her.

"Now just type in the name of the book you want to find and we'll see where it comes up" she quickly stepped aside for the woman to take her spot, barely suppressing a shudder as she caught sight of the woman's hands as they reached out towards the keyboard.

They were bony thin and claw like with long sharp nails, almost like a bird of prey's talons.

 _Kinda fits though_

Ariel had to admit as she took in the rest of this stranger.

The old woman did indeed look like a bird. More accurately; she looked rather like an old vulture, what with the way her pale head of thin white hair rose from the strange black cloak that she wore over her dark red dress. Heck even her nose was beak like!

 _Ok…maybe now she can find her book happily_

Ariel mentally sighed with relief as she saw the old woman hit enter and look at the results of her search only to screech at the top of her lungs.

"WHAT?! BORROWED!"

Ariel bit her lip nervously as she glanced over her shoulder. She could already see some other people in the shelves behind her eyeing her and the old woman with obvious disdain for the ruckus. She tried to give them an apologetic look only to wince as the old woman yelled again.

"NO-NO-NO IT CAN'T BE BORROWED!"

"I'm sorry mam but could you please keep your voice down your scaring the other patrons."

"WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS IT?"

"Please mam maybe I could find you another copy-"

"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT ANOTHER COPY"

"But mam-"

"I SAID SHUT UP YOU STUPID GIRL!"

And with that Ariel felt one of the claw like hands of the woman lash out and strike her across the cheek. Surprised she fell backwards onto the floor, landing painfully on her behind just as the old woman continued to shriek, her fingers furiously slamming down hard on the keyboard keys.

"Hey what's going on?!" a familiar voice sounded and Ariel felt a large pair of hands grab her and pull her up to her feet.

"…hey Ian" She felt a deeply embarrassed flush spread over her cheeks as she heard many people about her mutter from all around her as her brother made to pat her down.

"You ok?"

"It was just a slap. Nothing major" Ariel tried to shrug but she was shaking a little from the shock.

"Alright but stand back and let me take care of this" Ian patted her shoulder consolingly before rounding on the woman.

Ariel had to admit she was impressed by how calm he made himself appear despite the angry glint in his eyes.

"Mam, I'm sorry you weren't able to find what you were looking for but if you hit a member of staff or anyone in this library again I'm going to have to call security to escort you outside"

The old woman paused at the computer, her eyes the only thing that moved as they swivelled around to look at Ian.

Ariel gulped with terror as she caught sight of the murderous gleam in those dark irises.

"Meddlesome boy" she muttered darkly under her breath before roughly thrusting out her palm at him.

On it in the centre of it was a large brand, burnt right into the flesh, imprinting a red mark that stood out against the red skin like blood on snow.

Ariel squinted as she took in the shape. It looked like it was a thin slanting eye with a very catlike vertical pupil. For some reason the shape was very…familiar…

But she didn't have much time to ponder the meaning any further because suddenly the symbol began to glow as if a fire was lit up from within and was about to burst forth.

Ariel looked towards Ian who was now rooted to the spot and staring wide eyed at the old woman's hand which was now glowing so brightly it seemed to be on fire.

She grinned wickedly as she saw fear brew in the depths of his light eyes.

"That's right boy, behold my power for it will be the last thing you ever see!" and with a loud cackle she let loose the fire from her palm and it surged forwards.

There was chaos as people scrambled away, gasped and screamed, though nobody's voices could match Ariel's shriek of terror as she saw her brother engulfed in a large ball of fire.

"NOO! IAN!"

* * *

KABOOM!

An elderly man, with long silver hair and beard, looked up quickly towards the stormy skies above his head.

He was an odd old man, for he wore long grey robes, a big grey pointed hat and held onto a tall brown wooden staff which he leaned against as he watched the dark clouds swirling above the long pier he walked beside and felt the first drops of rain fall onto his forehead.

He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt as if he was waiting for something. Though what he was waiting for he did not know.

All he knew was that he had to go down to the beach that was close by as soon as the rain had ended, for it would be there that he'd find the answers he sought…to questions he had not yet asked or thought about.

But he was to learn.

* * *

 _Beep-beep! Beep-beep!_

"Ariel" a voice whispered in her ear. "Ariel"

Ariel looked up into the blurred face of an older man. He was tall with dark skin and short dark salt and pepper hair and goatee that made his tired hazel eyes seem to pop from his exhausted face.

"Hey Dad"

"Hey yourself. Listen your mom and I are just going to go get something from the cafeteria downstairs. Do you want to come with us?"

Ariel shook her head rubbing her eyes.

"No you go on ahead, I'm good"

"Are you sure?"

"yeah…I'm sure" she tried smiling, but her expression faltered as she saw the look on her father's face. He was looking really…intense…his eyes were scanning up and down her face, drinking in her features as if he was trying to memorise every single line and shape on her face before it disappeared.

"Dad? Are you okay?"

Calvin Brooks shook his head trying to smile, though failing miserably as his eyes almost welled up with tears.

"I'm fine sweetheart…just a little tired. Are you sure you won't come down to eat?"

"I'm sure. If I get hungry I'll just grab a bag of chips from the machine outside and come back in." Ariel shrugged. "besides I wanna stay here when he gets up"

 _If he gets up…_

She bit her trembling lip as she looked down upon the hospital bed beside her. In it her brother lay, his body strapped up to so many machines that it was barely possible to walk easily in the room without tripping over a wire of some kind.

She vaguely felt her father's hand cup her cheek as he pressed a small kiss to the top of her head, before murmuring a goodbye and leaving the room.

But it wasn't enough to break her gaze as she continued to stare down at her sibling, a numb feeling settling over her entire body.

He would've looked completely fine had it not been for the equipment around him. Indeed, he only looked to be fast asleep which was odd considering what had happened.

"Just what did that old bat do to you?" Ariel muttered reaching out to take her brother's hand. It was cold from being out of the warmth of the blankets that were over him but not so much that it was worrisome.

Then suddenly something harsh brushed against her fingers.

Ariel blinked and looked down at her brother's hand. It seemed normal enough.

She felt it again with her fingers. Again the rough texture of damaged skin under the bandages.

 _It's on his palm_

She quickly turned his hand over and drew her own away to see clearly only to jump back in horror.

There on his left palm clear as day to see for all was a red burn in the shape of a hideous eye.

"Nasty isn't it?" an elderly voice muttered from behind. "but then again it is a third degree burn so…"

Ariel froze and quickly whipped her head around ready to scream. However, she was quick to stop herself.

Yes, it was an old woman that had entered the room, but it wasn't the same one that had attacked her or her brother. No, this woman was very different, her face was wrinkled but kindly, and garbed in a nurses scrubs, a large rectangular leather satchel in her arms.

Ariel stared at her in alarm as she stepped over the threshold of the room.

"What's your name?" the old lady smiled as she approached her side.

"A-Ariel" Ariel stuttered warily. "I-I'm sorry but who are you nurse…?"

"Nuldien."

"Nuldi-what-what?" Ariel cocked her head to the side and the old lady, Nuldien laughed.

"Nuldien. Don't worry sweetie. I'm not like that other old hag that you met today"

"And…and who exactly is she?"

Ariel gulped as she looked towards Nuldien. She could not pinpoint why, but the woman gave off an overwhelmingly good vibe that made her feel like she could trust her…even if she sounded ridiculous as she said:

"A servant of a very dark power"

"Of what dark power?"

Ariel almost would have laughed, but then she remembered the way the evil old hag's hand had glowed like a fire.

Nuldien seemed to guess her thoughts because she sighed heavily as she made to sit in the spare chair by Ariel's other side.

"My dear what does that mark remind you of?"

"Um…a freaky red eye" Ariel replied blankly as she glanced at her brother's hand.

"Yes, and who uses such a symbol?"

"Err…I…don't really know" Ariel gulped as Nuldien's eyebrows rose.

"You do know but you just don't recognise it" the elderly woman sighed as she placed her rectangular leather-bound satchel upon the edge of the hospital bed and opened it up.

It was a very large, very thick red leather book with the same red eye embossed into the front cover, only this time it was surrounded by a circle of some form of familiar but strange letters.

It took Ariel a full minute to take in the two titles that were printed on either side of the symbol.

 _The Hobbit_ and _The Lord of the Rings_ by JRR Tolkien

"No…" she muttered in disbelief, shaking her head out vigorously "No this is just crazy"

"No, my child" Nuldien nodded sadly "it isn't"

"Seriously?" Ariel now began to laugh, though the sound was bitter and hollow "you expect me to believe that that old hag came from …from a fantasy book? And works for that Sauron or whatever his name is?"

Nuldien's eyes hardened their shade turning from smoky grey to pewter within a second.

"Yes, I do. And it would do you well to listen to what I have to say?"

"What are you going to tell me? That my brother is cursed and this _book_ has the answer?"

"Yes, it does."

Ariel stopped laughing though her gaze remained narrowed upon the old lady beside her.

"Ok say that I believed you, which by the way I most certainly _don't_. How the hell would I go about curing him hmm?"

"That is actually quite simple" Nuldien shrugged "You go to Middle Earth and help destroy the one ring. If you don't then you better get used to hospitals quick smart child because you'll be visiting every week or so"

"Right…I just gotta go to Middle Earth." Ariel rolled her eyes "What are you gonna do? Book me a flight online? A cruise? Click your fingers and just magically whisk me away in a second?"

"As a matter of fact, I am"

"Wait what?"

Nuldien smirked and before Ariel could even blink the old lady had snapped her fingers in a hard click.

At once the young girl felt something hard tug behind her navel.

"Wait what's happen-WHOA!" Ariel cried out as world suddenly began to swirl about her in a mass of colour. She could barely feel her body for it felt as if she were being sucked straight through a vacuum tube and down into darkness.

She almost missed Nuldien's last words as she felt her body begin to fall, down, and down deeper into the void.

"Goodbye and good luck Ariel"

And then suddenly everything turned black.

* * *

Salt…

That was all she could taste in her mouth.

Salty water.

And she was laying on something wet and gritty.

 _Sand…_

Ariel's eyes opened a sliver only to shut again as something crashed over her.

It was a wave, not a big one but still enough to hit her body hard and making her tired muscles ache even more.

She tried to open her eyes again, ignoring the sting from the salt water spray and raised her head. Sure, enough she was laying at the edge of the water along a long, undisturbed beach.

Struggling she managed to turn herself over onto her back trying to ignore the unpleasant chill or wet that had soaked her straight through to the bone.

Something green flashed in the corner of her eye and she turned her head slowly to see just next to her body a strange stick lying beside her body. It was reddish in colour, about her height (maybe slightly taller) with something green, winking at her brightly from the top of it.

But her eyes were too tired to make out much else and so she turned back to look up at the sky.

It was dim about her and grey as the sun slowly rose behind her in the east, its existence only noticeable due to the air beginning to warm and the sky lightening with each passing moment.

In the distance, she could see the dark cloudy dregs of a storm fading into the distance.

She stayed still, her body still too tired to move and let the waters, which were surprisingly clean wash over her body as the waves slowly but surely evened out into gentle pushes and pulls.

As her eyelids began to droop once more she could faintly hear the voices of several people calling out in muffled panic as they came closer, their voices mingling with the calls of seagulls that flew somewhere above her in the air.

 _Oh good…the police have found me…_

Ariel's lips quirked upwards in a smile as she let her mind drift off once again into darkness.

"[There look! There is someone laying in the water!]"

* * *

"Are you sure this was a good idea? After all she has no idea of what awaits her there"

"Trust me Celegon. Everything will be fine. Once Gandalf sees her he will take care of everything. She will be safe. I promise"

"I can only hope you're right…Nuldien"

* * *

The Elves of the Grey Havens (or Mithlond as they called it in their own tongue) were used to strange and unusual things washing up upon the shoreline of their port. It after all was the point from which many of their ships had travelled to and from the west.

So, it wasn't unusual to find small unusual objects, driftwood or shells littering the white sands.

Hence why Gandalf the Grey was so interested in the elven lord Galdor's words.

"We would not have called for you so immediately if the situation were not so strange" the elf admitted as he and the elderly wizard walked down the length of a hallway.

"Indeed not" Gandalf nodded though his eyes were shrewd "And what of this girl. Is there anything of her history that you can discover?"

Galdor shook his head softly, his brow furrowed on his fair face "No and that is remarkably troubling. Her overall appearance is that of a human and yet her garments are not like any I have seen before. They appear to be the clothes of a man but yet they are fitted and tailored to her female form and they appear to serve more for aesthetics than functionality in regards to a trade. And then there is her staff-"

The elf's eyes quickly darted towards the long ash staff in the grey wizard's hand.

"-It is remarkably like your own, though made of redwood and there is a green crystal set in the top."

Gandalf stopped dead in in his tracks.

"A green crystal?"

"Yes" Galdor paused mid step also to look back on the wizard with a quirked eyebrow "You know of this artefact?"

"…yes…yes as a matter of fact I do" Gandalf's voice was soft with thoughtfulness as he stroked his long beard slowly, his mind swimming.

 _But surely it could not be time yet…could it?_

He looked up at Galdor who opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off by a loud feminine shriek.

Both elf and wizard wheeled about to the direction of the sound, from which an elf woman with long golden hair and a fair face was running towards Galdor hurriedly.

"My lords our new guest has awoken-"

* * *

Gandalf the Grey had seen many things in his time upon Middle Earth. Many of them were of the unusual variety, whilst others were amusing, some were fascinating and some indeed were downright astounding.

What he seemed to be witnessing before him seemed to somehow fit into all those categories.

What had once been a large spacious bedroom, fashioned and decorated by the work of cunning elvish hands was now a mass of green vines entwining themselves in a defensive nest like construction around the centre of the great bed.

In the middle of it a girl was scrambling about in a panic trying her best to scuttle away from a long tendril of a vine that was creeping its way around her ankle.

"Ah! Get off! Get off!"

She squeaked swatting the vine away only to find another trying to twirl itself into her russet hair.

Gandalf took a moment to quickly observe the rest of the room. It was almost covered head to foot in the plant life which was surprisingly animated, considering its breed and species.

His eyes quickly snapped to a point on the ground when they caught the faintest trace of a green glimmer.

There laying on the floor by the foot of the bed was a long thin staff, made from redwood with one end carved to resemble an eagle's talon gripping a bright green stone in its clutch. It was glowing slightly, the brightness fluctuating as the girl continued to squeak and jump in her makeshift nest.

"I shall leave you to it then" Galdor nodded at Gandalf as the wizard quickly stepped forwards, his feet deftly darting over the writhing vines all over the floor as if he were trying to avoid stepping over a pit of snakes.

He snatched the staff off the ground in one swipe and within moments was holding it out in front of the girl who jumped at the sight of him.

"Here. I believe this might help"

The girl sat there shocked for a moment as she looked him over before quietly taking the staff from him. As soon as her hand touched the long rod, the plants around her stilled where they were at once.

Gandalf let loose a small sigh of relief as he straightened up watching the girl closely as she looked at her surroundings.

Gulping she tentatively gripped the staff tighter in her hands the glow from the green crystal within intensifying as a small hum sounded throughout the room, like when one would rub their fingers over a glass harmonica.

The old wizard watched with wonder as slowly but surely all the vines around the room began to creep down from the walls and ceiling and floor all the way back to the open window from which they seemed to have come from.

Once they were all safely out of reach of the walls, the girl gave a huge sigh of relief.

"Thanks"

"You're very welcome" Gandalf huffed as he made to sit down in a chair that was beside the bed, dusting off some fallen leaves. "So, now that we have those vines sorted out perhaps we could get down to business. What is your name?"

The girl bit her lip nervously as she mumbled timidly.

"Ariel. Ariel Brooks"

"Ariel" Gandalf repeated with a small nod of his head "daughter of the sea. Fitting seeing as you were found by the waters of the havens"

"Yeah…though back where I come from Ariel means something slightly different"

"I know it does" Gandalf nodded gravely "in fact in your world it means the holy lion"

"My world?" The girl's head quickly snapped to him her eyes wide with surprise.

"Don't be alarmed" Gandalf quickly put up a hand to silence her "I know of where you come from and I know who sent you. Nuldien the Red, the great keeper of secrets. I believe you've met her"

"Yes" Ariel nodded slightly, her body seeming to relax a little bit, though not enough to remove the wary glint in her eye as she looked upon the wizard. "But how do you know her?"

"She was once one of my order, and she was a good friend. Wiser than most of us Istari, though remarkably eccentric in her methods." His voice fell away thoughtfully as old memories began to surface once more on the edges of his mind.

Ariel blinked as she looked upon the old man's face trying to digest what he'd just said.

 _Order…Nuldien the red…the red Istari…Istari…oh my god…OH MY GOD!_

"GHA!" she squeaked and Gandalf jumped in his chair in surprise. He looked up to see Ariel's hands clapped over her mouth.

How could she have not recognised it before? The long grey beard, the grey robes, the staff, the hat!

"Y-you, you're-you're. G-G-G-Gan-Gand-" she stuttered her grip on her own staff, which was still in her hands, tightening in surprise.

"Yes, Miss Ariel. I am Gandalf the Grey." Gandalf's eyes twinkled in amusement as Ariel fell back into the headboard and ran a hand over her hair.

"Oh my god I'm dreaming! I'm hallucinating! I've finally, officially cracked!" she groaned loudly. "No there is no way I'm really on Middle Earth, I'm just-"

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I must disagree with you there" Gandalf steamrolled over her quickly to stop her hyperventilating. "You are here and you were sent here for good reason, though I have yet to determine the nature of your task. Now, how did you get here and what did Nuldien tell you?"

"She…she barely told me anything" Ariel breathed deeply to calm her spiking nerves "She just sent me here. My brother…he was attacked…he was dying…. She said if I came here and helped destroy some greater evil or something that I could save him"

"And what is this great evil called?"

Ariel opened her mouth but paused quickly.

 _Oh crap…he knows about my world…but I don't think he knows that this world a part of a book…a book in which everything in his future has been written down…If Saruon had been defeated when Gandalf had become Gandalf the white then I'm in Middle Earth before they've discovered the Ring and before Sauron came back from hiding…if I tell him everything now I'll change everything or worse if people know I know what's going to happen they might …_

She gulped once more this time doing her best to keep her voice calm and composed even though Gandalf's blue-grey eyes had hardened so much that they were now as grim as storm clouds.

"I… can't tell you. It's not that I don't want to" she quickly added as the wizard opened his mouth "but...but"

 _Quick Ariel think. You don't have to lie to him you just need to bend the truth a little._

"But I cannot because I am under oath not to reveal it"

"Under oath?" Gandalf raised his eyebrows.

"Yes" Ariel quickly nodded "Yes I am under oath. In my world, many of my people know of the future of Middle Earth and many other worlds. However, it is forbidden for us to speak of them aloud except to one another so that we may not damage the flow of time or destiny. There are certain things that are meant to happen, and it is not our place to change it for our own means unless it is in dire circumstances."

 _Christ if only I could've bullsh-ed like this on my English finals…_

Ariel huffed in relief as she saw the old wizard slowly nod his head in understanding.

"If what you say is true. Then Nuldien must have seen some great disturbance to have sent you here in her stead"

"Yeah maybe" Ariel nodded quietly but then she quickly asked "How did you know this Nuldien lady sent me? And how do you know of my-my world?"

"The answer to both those questions lies within one answer. As I said before Nuldien was once one of my order. And being a secret keeper she knew many things we didn't. One of these was the means to travel through worlds through magic. She would often disappear for weeks on end before suddenly reappearing with tales from these other realms. One day she left but stopped returning altogether. That was nigh on two hundred years ago. But before she vanished she foretold that there would be a time when this Middle Earth would be in danger and in that time, she herself would send to us over the seas an ally bearing a green stone. Just like the one you have in that item of yours"

As Gandalf spoke quietly, his eyes roved over the staff in her hands as the green gem within flickered with a glowing light from within

Ariel looked down on it feeling the small pulses of power trickle through the wood and into her skin. It felt…refreshing…invigorating…as if she were sitting in an open field with the sun over her face and soft grass beneath her body.

And yet what was she supposed to do with it?

Gandalf seemed to read her face and thoughts because he sighed heavily.

She was young, far younger than what he had expected to have seen, more on the edge of maidenhood than womanhood.

 _Barely grown out of her puppy fat…_

He mused as he looked over the youthful face, unlined and unmarked by age or experience.

 _But I guess we'll have to make do for now. Who knows, she made it this far and she's still mostly in one piece. There is a strong conviction in her… she has a purpose…she said her brother is at deaths door unless she saves this world. Her love for him must be strong indeed. Maybe that's why Nuldien sent her, for one who loves is far stronger in heart than one who fears or hates._

"So, miss Ariel." Gandalf coughed when he realised that the silence had dragged on a fair bit. "Are you well enough to walk?"

"huh?" Ariel blinked at him. "Walk? I guess so"

"Good. Because you'll be doing a good deal of it from now on" Gandalf grunted as he slowly made his way up onto his feet, leaning against his own lighter coloured staff "That is, once you've been properly fed and clothed for travel in this world. I daresay you'll find it impractical to walk or ride about the wilderness in a nightdress"

"Yeah…I guess so" Ariel bit her lip unsurely as she looked up at the older man who was slowly making his way back to the now closed room door "uh… where will I be going exactly?"

"You'll be coming along with me." Gandalf looked back at her as if what he'd just said had been the most obvious idea in the world "I have an errand that I might require some help with and in return I shall help you with those new powers of yours. Correct me if I'm wrong but I do not think even you've had much experience with magic"

"However, did you guess?" Ariel rolled her eyes sardonically. "Wait hang on! What is this _errand_ you have to go on?"

"Oh, I'm just picking up one last small thing for a quest I am organising" Gandalf's eyes twinkled "I don't know whether you know of this or not considering your worlds powers of foresight, but there is a party of dwarves that currently want to regain their lost kingdom from a dragon. The only trouble is we just need one more member Dwarves are a very superstitious lot and thirteen is not considered a lucky number."

"Who do you have in mind to fill in this spot?" Ariel's fingers were now shaking with anticipation as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a small smile.

"Tell me Ariel…what do you know of Hobbits?"

* * *

 _In the hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit._

 _Not a nasty, dirty wet hole full of worms and oozy smells._

 _This was a Hobbit hole._

 _And that means good food, a warm hearth and all the comforts of home._

* * *

 **And there we have it, the first chapter of the Remastered Legend of the Green Lady**

 **Whew! this was a tough one. To those of you who read the original i know it doesn't seem like much of a change, but that's because i felt pretty much had most of the beginning down pat. It's what happens later on in the plot that has been changed the most, so you will find more changes as we go forwards.**

 **Anways, to all of you new readers i hope you enjoyed reading this fic and please review if you'd like to see more**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	2. At Your Service

**Chapter 2: At Your Service**

There is the small snapping and slight sizzling sound as a match is lit.

The hiss as a small flame ignites a candle wick.

The click of a key as a box is opened.

The small plop as the cap of an inkwell is opened.

The scratching of a quill as it writes over the pages of a large leather bound red book.

* * *

 ** _My dear Frodo._**

 ** _You asked me one once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. And while I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it._**

 ** _I am old now, Frodo. I'm not the same Hobbit I once was._**

 ** _I think it is time for you to know what really happened. It began long ago in a land far away across the shining seas._**

 ** _A world of men, though not men like you'll find here on this middle earth. A world of strange wonders and unheard-of inventions. With great cities made from metal and money made from paper._**

 ** _It was in such a place that SHE was born. A young woman who would, unknowingly, change the world as we know it, and in more ways than we can possibly imagine._**

 ** _The elves call her Calenhyrin. The Dwarves call her Zarsûna, and amongst man she has many more names, the most common being "the Green Lady"._**

 ** _But I just knew her as Ariel Brooks…_**

* * *

Ariel wiped her nose as she shivered in the cold night air.

She was striding up the long winding road that looped up around the hill like a great snake. Alongside her little homes with doors far shorter than her average frames were shut, the lights behind their windows either lit dimly from within or completely black as their owners rested from a long day's work.

She drew her green cloak tighter about her form as she rounded yet another bend in the road, clutching her hood tight about her head so that she could cover her freezing ears. She was glad the dark green dress and corset she wore were sturdy and thick, and that her brown boots were long, because she didn't think she'd ever have been able to handle this cold in the clothes she had first arrived in.

 _Man if my friends could see me now…_

Ariel sighed as another cold gust of wind whipped about her.

She couldn't see why she had to leave her horse behind at the inn. If she hadn't she'd have been up this hill a lot quicker.

 _Damn old man! I get he doesn't want to make a scene but still…brr, damn its cold._

She bristled, teeth chattering slightly as she turned around another bend, only to stop dead in her tracks as she caught sight of a group of people just ahead of her. Or rather a group of very stout short men, led by a very tall man with a large grey hat.

It was he who turned to face her, his bright eyes twinkling as he smiled at her from beneath a long grey beard.

"Ah Ariel, there you are. I was beginning to worry"

"No need to worry old man. I was just sightseeing" Ariel smiled, her heart leaping in her chest with both excitement and anxiety as she looked over the other figures

Were these the rest of the dwarves?

From watching the doors of the hobbit hole, she knew Dwalin, Balin, Fili and Kili had already come into Bag End from the other direction of the road. Though she had not met them or seen them up close, they had matched the descriptions Gandalf had given her to a tee.

And speaking of dwarves…

She blushed and dipped her head down a little under her hood as she caught sight of the dwarves' curious expressions as they assessed her. Most of them seemed politely interested, others not as impressed.

Gandalf however was not perturbed.

"Gentlemen me to introduce my new apprentice, Lady Ariel Brooks. Ariel this is the company…or at least eight of them. This is Gloin, Oin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur"

Ariel did her best to commit all the dwarves' names and faces to memory, though admittedly it wasn't hard for her to overlook Bombur for he was massively fat like a drum.

She curtsied politely as they all gave sweeping bows muttering "At your service" one after the other before Gandalf addressed her once more.

"My dear just how long have you been walking? I could've sworn you left before us…"

 _Oh yeah right, he said for me to go on ahead._

"um…about an hour or so" she shrugged only to see some of the dwarf's eyebrows shoot up. "I took a wrong turn and had to double back."

"An hour milady?" one of the shorter younger looking dwarves, in grey and brown with a shortish beard, said worriedly "In this night air and in that thin cloak. You'll catch a chill if you're not careful."

"Ori that thin cloak as you call it" Gandalf rolled his eyes impatiently "was fashioned by the elves and it is highly effective in its duty to its wearer. But we haven't the time to discuss fashion or the night air. Let us just get inside as quick as maybe."

And with that they all began making their way up the hill towards a round green front door.

* * *

Poor Bilbo Baggins was almost at his wits end as he watched with despondent desperation, twelve dwarves run amok about his house. He was especially dismayed when he discovered that his wonderfully fully stocked pantry had been all but ransacked, and had been left with nothing save a couple of condiments that had been hidden on one of the highest shelves.

He could barely tell who was taking what and had only just managed to tug some prize tomatoes he himself had grown from the hands of a dwarf. Meanwhile behind him, Gandalf stooped out from the dining room and began counting off the names of his company.

"Uh, Fili, Kili. Uh…Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori. Yes, you are quite right Bifur" The wizard nodded quickly as the dark shaggy haired dwarf passed him and spoke in a gruff and completely unintelligible tongue accompanied by a brusque hand movement.

"Is something wrong?" Ariel asked as she poked her head out from the dining room where she had been trying to quietly set places at the table. There was so much food set on it that it was beginning to groan alarmingly under the weight.

Gandalf looked at her and smiled.

"Oh nothing is wrong, we're just one dwarf short"

"He is late, is all" Dwalin nodded gruffly from the wall he was leaning against as he sipped a tankard of beer "He travelled north to a meeting of our kin. He will come"

"Mister Gandalf" Dori, a dwarf with a grey beard, quickly piped in as he came into the room, holding up what appeared to be two tiny shot glasses full to the brim with red wine. "A little glass of red wine as requested. It's got a fruity bouquet"

"Oh cheers" Gandalf took the tiny glass with a smile just as the dwarf turned to Ariel and smiled at her.

"And you milady? What will you be having?"

"Oh no, it's alright I'm fine thank you" Ariel smiled politely before quickly glancing down beside her where Bilbo was trying and failing to regain his composure, his furry feet nervously tapping as they tried to decide which direction to go in.

 _Poor guy…_

She sighed softly to herself taking in his now haggard appearance. She guessed it was only natural. From what she could remember of the books, Bilbo had only thought Gandalf would be calling in to his house. He hadn't expected twelve or thirteen raucous dwarves to come barging in and pillage his pantry.

It was a hard slog for Ariel to get small snippets of food from the table seeing as they were all tucking in heavily, Bombur catching a boiled egg whole in his large and mostly full mouth with many a cheer from the others.

 _Like first day in the school cafeteria all over again_

Eventually after several tries and attempts to squeeze her way in, and watching a rather long sculling of beer, and a spectacular belching competition, Balin's kindly but sharp eyes caught sight of her.

"Are you alright lass? You look a little out of sorts"

"What? Oh. No I'm fine…I guess I'm just a little…uh…from the journey" she shrugged. She tried to back away quickly not wanting to cause any trouble but he quickly pulled her back by the cape.

"Well if you're tired then you must eat and regain your strength. Come lass let's make room for you" and with that Balin turned slapping at both Kili and Fili who sat beside him.

"Oy you two rascals, where are your manners there is a lady present."

The two young brothers both looked rather taken aback for a moment as they glanced around for a sign of what their elder was talking about. They were quick to catch sight of Ariel who was trying her best to stand back with her hands fiddling in front of her nervously.

"Oh goodness lass. We're so sorry we didn't see you there! Here please sit"

Kili quickly scooted over so that there was a gap between himself and his brother who swiftly snatched her an empty plate up and began filling it quickly with food, which was probably for the best considering how spiritedly Bombur was devouring nearly everything in sight, including the gigantic rolls of cheese.

"There you go that should fill you right up"

"Thank you" Ariel flushed pink suddenly feeling very shy as her stomach made a loud grumble at the sight of her full plate.

"Is no problem miss…?"

"Ariel" Ariel nodded as she accepted cutlery from him, blushing to the roots of her hair.

"Ariel…it's a pleasure to meet you"

"It's nice to meet you too um…Fili is it?"

"The one and only" Fili grinned before standing up to his feet and sweeping into a low bow.

"Fili son of Boli and Dis of the house of Durin. At your service miss Ariel. And that there is my younger brother Kili" Fili nodded back at his younger brother Kili who quickly swooped in from the side with a cheeky lopsided grin and glinting bright eyes.

"My lady" he gave her a tiny wink.

If Ariel had thought, she was pink before it was nothing compared to the almost magenta shade as her hand was swept up towards the youngest dwarf's stubbled chin so that he could graze his lips over her knuckles.

"So…Ariel? Wow what a name! So unusual, but very fitting for a sweet young maid such as yourself. Tell me what does it mean?"

"Uh…it's kinda got two meanings" she gulped her eyes darting down to her lap. "In Elvish it could mean Daughter of the sea, but in the tongue of my people it means Holy Lioness."

"A lioness? HA! More like a lion cub" Came a gruff bark and Ariel turned to see a rather dwarf with tattoos and knuckle dusters sitting just on the other side of the table across from her.

He cast quite a terrifying image what with the tattoos and battle scars marring his large bear like arms, not to mention his beard was long and shaggy. But what caught her attention the most were his eyes, dark but shrewd even as they made to assess her with mounting suspicion and doubt. It was a look that she just noticed, that a lot of the older dwarves were sparing her.

 _Ok I was wrong…this is so much worse than first day at school…_

"Excuse me but I don't think I quite caught that Mister…?" she replied doing her best to keep her voice and face as cool as possible.

"Dwalin son of Fundin" the gruff dwarf, Dwalin, snorted as he took a swig of his drink. "And I was saying, that yer seem less like a big cat and more like a little kitten"

"maybe… but even a kitten can still draw blood when it scratches"

There was a small pause in many discussions around the table as all the dwarves made to watch the exchange with intrigue. Indeed, Fili was quirking an eyebrow at his brother as they watched Ariel bristle ever so slightly in her seat as she responded quietly.

"She has a point there" a dwarf with a funny hat, whom Ariel recognised to be Bofur, murmured to the small cardigan bearing form of Ori who was looking nervously at Dwalin.

The older dwarf's face was remarkably blank even as he looked the girl before him straight in the eye. Ariel looked straight back, willing herself not to break eye contact though internally she was screaming to just look back down into her plate and sink away to be invisible.

Then suddenly Dwalin burst out chuckling, the sound rather deep and booming but jovial all the same as he threw his head back hard.

"HA! I like you kid! You've certainly got spunk! Hey Gandalf where did you find this little fire cracker?"

"Oh…I wouldn't say that I found her." The Grey Wizard shrugged almost nonchalantly though his eyes did twinkle a little "Rather I'd say she found me. And a good thing too considering… …"

"Considering what?" Ariel tilted her head but Gandalf just smiled as he sat in his seat and took out his long wooden pipe from his satchel.

"Nothing my dear, now why don't you eat before your food gets cold"

Ariel nodded.

Quickly she began to eat trying her best to be as neat and as ladylike as she could. And yet despite her much cleaner manners the speed at which the food disappeared off her plate was just as astounding as the dwarves around her who were watching with great intrigue.

"Well someone _is_ hungry" Kili sniggered as he watched the girl shovel the last bite off her clean plate. He winced as Balin slapped him hard over the back of his head much to everyone's amusement.

"Manners."

"It's alright. I actually haven't eaten since the morning anyway" Ariel grinned reaching out for a small warm roll of bread in the centre of the table which she quickly began to munch upon.

"So Lass" Gloin's voice spoke from his spot opposite her at the table "Since we are all going to be traveling together for a while, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself"

"Um…ehe" Ariel laughed nervously scratching the back of her head. "I'm not sure if there's much to tell. My name is Ariel Brooks, I'm seventeen years old. My father Calvin is a carpenter, and my mother Nora is a flower seller and my elder brother was studying law-" she was glad she had a piece of bread in her mouth for it masked whatever tenseness she had in her jaw.

"And you ended up a wizard's apprentice?" Nori raised his brows. "No offence but that is rather odd occupation for a young lady isn't it?"

At this Gandalf's voice arose from his end of the table and his voice was calm and jovial, though he gave Ariel a pointed look as if to say "let me handle this".

"That is true. However, Ariel has already demonstrated a fair aptitude for magic, and whilst it is remarkable in its own right it would be beneficial for her to start learning to harness such talent from an earlier age when it is easier than leave it to fester and run amok untrained"

"Aye fair enough" Dwalin and some of the older dwarves nodded grimly, though Kili looked very excited as he beheld his new neighbour who was now nibbling nervously on a piece of crust.

"You can do magic? That's incredible? What kind?"

Ariel glanced around the table. All the Dwarves and Bilbo, who had just walked in from his hallway, were now sitting or standing still gazing at her expectantly. She gulped nervously.

"It's alright Ariel you can show them" Gandalf's voice was gentle.

"Okay…but just don't be disappointed if it doesn't work…I'm still just getting used to it" Ariel nodded, taking a deep breath as she reached backwards for her staff which she pointed carefully at the bowl of gorgeous fresh whole tomatoes.

 _Grow…_

At first she thought she had failed for whilst the green gem in her staff glowed brightly nothing seemed to happen. And then suddenly without warning Ori gave a cry out in alarm and everyone jumped.

The before all their eyes the tomatoes were slowly but surely beginning to expand outwards, almost as if they were inflatable balloons.

 _Stop_

She quickly commanded as they became almost as big as a small rockmelon each, the vines joining them together now thick as normal twigs.

There was a heavy silence as all the men in the room stared between the overgrown food and the young girl with wide eyes. Indeed, Bilbo's eyes were wider than his dinner plates.

 _She grew the tomatoes…she grew the tomatoes that were already picked…all with just a wave of that stafff?_

Too astounded to speak he quickly turned to look back into his pantry just as loud cheers sounded from his dining room. However, the sight before his eyes did nothing to alleviate his bewilderment.

His entire pantry was completely empty. There was not one shelf left untouched. Even all his best cheeses were demolished.

 _Why me?_

He thought despondently as he made his way into his kitchen where a couple of dwarves were currently standing about chatting over large mugs of beer, one of them taking a small square of woven lace and wiping his mouth on it.

 _Alright I've been tolerant for long enough_

The poor Hobbit strode forwards and yanked the cloth out of Bofur's hand.

"Excuse me but that's a doily not a dishcloth"

"But it's full of holes" Bofur shrugged, unperturbed by Bilbo's obvious aggravation as his control was starting to dangle by the thinnest of threads.

"It's supposed to look like that it's crochet"

"And a wonderful game it is too, if you've got the balls for it" at this all the Dwarves in the room chortled.

Bilbo however huffed angrily as he stormed back to a shelf to tuck the small doily away before it could be damaged any further.

"Be-bother and confiscate these Dwarves!"

"My dear Bilbo whatever is the matter?" Gandalf asked concernedly as he came in from the dining room.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo snapped irately "I'm surrounded by Dwarves. What are they doing here?"

"Oh they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them" the old wizard added trying his best to give an encouraging smile down at his host, but Bilbo was clearly not impressed.

"I don't want to get used to them." He hissed as he led Gandalf through the rooms and around the disaster zone that had once been his comfortable little home "Look at the state of my kitchen. There's mud trod into the carpet. They've _pillaged_ the pantry. I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they're doing in my house! Agh!"

His small cry mingled with that of a young woman's as Ariel accidentally bumped into him her plate accidentally tipping some reddish watery liquid all over the smaller hobbit's brown curly locks.

"Oh goodness I am so sorry" Ariel spluttered sounding just as mortified as he felt. She couldn't believe she'd accidentally spilled Tomato water all over Bilbo Baggins within barely a few hours of knowing him. "Really Mister Bilbo I am so sorry-"

 _It's official…this has got to be without a doubt the most embarrassing night of my life._

Both hobbit and girl thought in unison.

As the substance dribbled over his face and over his lips, Bilbo caught the strong taste of tomato and sighed heavily in aggravation.

"It's alright miss. I was just going to wash up anyway"

"No, I really am sorry" Ariel insisted feeling her gut eat away at her with guilt "I mean for everything. I wasn't looking at where I was going and I've kind of assisted in demolishing or mutating what was once in your pantry-"

"It's alright" Bilbo put a hand up quickly to stop her. It wasn't that he was angry at the girl, what had just happened was clearly an accident, and judging by her previous behavior she was herself new to this company of loud boisterous Dwarves. And so, it was with a great deep breath that he forced himself to speak calmly. "I understand."

Ariel bit her lip trying not to glance in the direction of Gandalf who was watching their interaction quite closely and curiously.

"Here" she held out her hand, the one not holding the now empty plate, in which she had folded up neatly a proper cloth napkin.

"…Thank you" Bilbo murmured quietly as he took the cloth and began dabbing at his face and hair.

And he sincerely was thankful. She was perhaps the only other person who seemed to understand his predicament that evening. His gratitude however was cut short as he saw Ori enter the room holding up his own clean plate.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"

"Tip it on my head perhaps" Bilbo muttered under his breath though when Ariel caught his eye she saw that there was perhaps a small twinkle of amusement.

She sighed slightly with relief just as Fili strode in and quickly snatched both her's and Ori's plates in his hands.

"Here you go Ori, give them to me"

And with that he quickly threw them in the direction of Kili who had just come out of the kitchen, only for him to expertly fling them back inside.

Then suddenly from the dining room somebody threw two more plates at Fili who then chucked them to his brother, who started to get into a rhythm as he passed the plates on into whoever was catching them in the kitchen.

Poor Bilbo began to panic once more as one by one every single one of the dishes and plates he owned was thrown across the room in front of his horrified eyes.

"Take that back! No excuse me! That's my mother's West Farthing pottery, it's over one hundred years old!"

Ariel would have been worried at this statement had she not been so impressed by how skilled the dwarves were with their task. It seemed their dexterity extended further than their usual craftsmanship in stones and metals.

And speaking of metals…

Ariel felt her heart brim with excitement as she heard a rhythmic thumping and clashing as the Dwarves in the dining room began to bump and slice their knives and forks against the table and one another.

 _Oh god…it can't be_

"And can you not do that you'll blunt them" Bilbo cried out in alarm only for the dwarves to all laugh.

"Ooh you hear that lads he says we'll blunt the knives"

"Blunt the knives bend the forks" Fili sang.

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks" Kili sang.

"Chip the glasses and crack the pla~tes. That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" they all sang in unison.

And at that some of the dwarves begin to play flutes from their packs as others continued to sing loudly slide the plates across the table to be "cleaned" by Bombur who it seemed was substituting for a garbage bin with the amount that he was consuming. They were having such a merry time that even Fili quickly pulled Ariel into a small gig with him around the entrance hall of the hobbit hole, which was met with much jovial cheers and clapping.

"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat. Leave the bones on the bedroom mat. Poor the milk on the pantry floor. Smash the wine on every door! Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl. Pound them up with a thumping pole. And when you're finished if they are whole, send them down the hall to roll"

Ariel could not help but smile with glee as her partner held his hand for her to spin around one last time as the singers all cried out loudly.

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"

Bilbo quickly lurched forwards at the last word to look wildly between the shoulders of two dwarves only to see to his uttermost astonishment all his plates and dishes neatly stacked one on top of another, with no cracks and no damage whatsoever.

"Ha did you see his face" Bifur chortled just as Oin cried out towards Fili's and Ariel's direction.

"And did you see our new friend's lovely footwork"

Ariel giggled brightly much to the delight of the company around her who all turned and gave her and Fili a small smattering of applause. She curtsied to them all, blushing shyly to the roots of her red-brown hair as Kili whooped loudly only to be smacked on the back of his head once again for his cheek by Balin who shook his head with an exasperated smile.

She turned back to Fili just as he made to bow low before her.

"Thank you for the wonderful dance miss Ariel"

"Oh...I'm-I'm not such a good dancer really" Ariel's blush deepened as she smiled bashfully. "If anything I should be thanking you for being such a good partner"

"Nonsense" Fili smirked as he straightened up "You are wonderful and light on your feet. I shall be delighted to dance with you again when the next good song arrives my lady"

"Well I look forward to it kind sir..." Ariel smiled as chuckling he took one of her hands in his own and politely pressed his lips over her knuckles.

 _Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Ariel quickly wheeled about as everyone around her fell into a hush.

Even Gandalf's eyes grew serious as he paused, his now lit up smoking pipe halfway to his mouth.

"He is here" he murmured standing to his feet he quickly glanced at Ariel who nodded nervously before timidly reaching out to the round front door and pulling it gently open.

What she saw made her gasp softly and her eyes widen in shock.

A Dwarf in thick clothing and a fur lined cloak entered the house. He was tall by the standards of his people, the top of his head reaching Ariel's chin. His bearing was proud and straight to match his regal face which was framed by long black hair and beard.

Despite being taller than him, Ariel suddenly felt remarkably small as he spared her a piercing glance with a pair of bright blue eyes. After a quick assessment, and a small derisive snort, he he turned his imperious gaze upon Gandalf who had stepped forwards to greet him.

"Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for the mark on the door"

"Mark?" Bilbo cried out "There's not mark on that door. It was painted a week ago"

But even as Ariel quickly peeked over the side of the said door she saw glimmering in the light of the moon a thin rune scratched very finely into the green paint along the wood.

"Actually Bilbo there is a mark" She gave the hobbit an apologetic look.

"Of course there is one" Gandalf rolled his eyes "I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, Ariel, allow me to introduce the leader of our company; Thorin Oakenshield"

* * *

 **TADAA! here we are Thorin has arrived! and Ariel's met the company and Bilbo Baggins.**

 **and just as an aside to any of you who want to see funny things about the hobbit, have a look at PeckishOwl's Oakentoons on DeviantArt. The best has to be the one called _Oakentoon #91: He's got a dream._ It's Tangled meets Hobbit and it's just ROFL HILARIOUS!**

 **Anyways apart from that i hope you enjoyed the chapter and keep reading and reviewing for more.**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	3. The Company of Thorin Oakenshield

**Chapter 3: The Company of Thorin Oakenshield**

When Thorin Oakenshield first stepped into Hobbiton around sunset, his first thought was:

 _That wizard must be mad. There is no chance we could find a burglar in such a safe little pocket of the world._

But even as he wandered around the sleepy hillsides, watching as the residents all tucked in for the evening, he had to admit there was something charming about the many gardens and the simplicity of the people that tended them.

Though these were people who'd never known hardship and woe like he and his people had, he did not feel as bitter towards them as he had first thought he would. Indeed, there was something soothing about the sounds of the people chatting and the children playing as he walked along the paths in the pink and lavender twilight.

There was just something about the _innocence_ of this place that made him feel at peace…until he realized that he had gotten lost.

He frowned at the map he'd been given as he struggled to find the directions on it, only to curse as a strong gust of chilly wind suddenly whipped it up and out of his hands. He jumped to get it, but already it was sailing away beyond his reach and up into a tree.

He sighed heavily to himself, pinching his nose and thankful that none of his kin had been there to witness such an embarrassing moment.

 _What does it matter, I'll ask someone for directions. I'm sure someone could tell me where this Mister Baggins lives._

And so, he did ask someone. An elderly hobbit who was shutting the low round gate to his home, was very helpful and polite to him and even offered to drive him part of the way. But Thorin refused. The gesture whilst welcome, would also be too cumbersome for such an old hobbit and the Dwarf prince did not like the idea of having to explain his displacement to a complete stranger.

So, he had begun walking once more following the directions he'd been given. Yet as he wandered he realized that though some of the landmarks were obvious, there were some which required a more hobbit like perspective to understand. For one thing Hobbits, as it transpired were quite good with their herbal lore, and often used certain plants and trees as landmarks.

Being a Dwarf who's love for the earth only extended to metal, jewels and rock, Thorin was not quite sure of which trees to locate as he continued to wander aimlessly through the many small winding lanes of the sleepy village. Though he'd travelled a lot, to him a tree was always just a tree, and he'd never learned carpentry like the lower-class dwarves, preferring blacksmithing to woodwork, and jewels to flowers.

 _Not like these hobbits._

He rolled his eyes as he passed by the same tall tree by a crossroads once more. Now it was well dark, the stars were twinkling high above in the blue-black sky as the moon shone serenely in its place in the heavens.

 _By mahal where is this hobbit's home?_

He was about to storm off and go towards the nearest house to ask once more for directions when he saw something green in the corner of his eye.

It wasn't grass or vegetation, like the surrounding hillsides. This was the green of cloth.

He looked around and saw some ways above and a few hills away, a tall form striding up the hill.

It appeared to be a human. They were around an average height as far as humans go, but still they towered over the last of the small hobbits who were locking their doors.

 _Gandalf? No but Gandalf wouldn't wear green._

He squinted hard at the figure as a gust of wind swept off its dark hooded cape. At once a shock of long reddish brown was illuminated in the moonlight, though it was quickly covered up again before he could get a good look at her face.

 _A woman? An elf? No it's too short to be an elf…and besides what would an elf be doing in these parts…but still…could she be…_

Thorin watched her as she trudged up the hill towards its top.

 _Maybe just maybe, that's where I need to go…_

The Dwarf prince thought as he quickly dashed down the path, not noticing the small faintly glowing white flower that had suddenly bloomed just next to the spot he'd just been standing in.

* * *

When Gandalf the Grey had first met young Ariel Brooks, he had to admit he had his doubts.

While she had adapted quickly to life on the road with him, she was still quite green (he chuckled at his own pun) to the world around her. She'd never used magic, she'd never even swung a sword. Indeed, the only blade she seemed to have ever used was a kitchen knife to chop vegetables.

She was also surprisingly skittish around the campfires, which he noticed interestedly, she always avoided lighting, or even getting close to, even if she was feeling cold. Yet in spite of this one fear, she was disarmingly bright, with a cheeky wit, a rock-solid stubbornness, and quite a mind of her own with, last but certainly not least, a temper to match that mane of thick russet-red hair.

Yes, this new apprentice of his was going to be quite a handful.

And so, it was with bated breath that the old wizard introduced her to the leader of their new company.

"-Bilbo Baggins, Ariel, allow me to introduce the leader of our company; Thorin Oakenshield"

"Lady Ariel" Thorin gave a gruff bow towards Ariel who curtsied in return. But before she had even straightened up he was already eyeing Bilbo with discerning amusement.

"So…this is the Hobbit. Tell me Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" Bilbo blinked in surprise as the dwarf prince made to circle about him eyeing his scrawny form up and down as he sized him up.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

"Well I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know…" Bilbo tried to smile back determined not to seem so shocked as he felt "but I fail to see how that's relevant"

"Hmph! Thought as much" Thorin smirked smugly before turning to the others "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar"

There were several chuckles from the other dwarves but Ariel did not laugh nor crack a smile.

 _Dissing his host when he himself arrives late? So NOT cool man!_

She quietly seethed glowering sidelong at Gandalf who himself was chuckling at the small exchange. Once he caught her eye however he quickly coughed to compose himself before giving a rather confused and slightly hurt Hobbit an apologetic look.

But Bilbo it seemed was more determined to just get this whole night dealt with as quickly as possible.

Soon he was sitting by Ariel along a small clear patch of wall in the dining room as Thorin began eating a small bowl of soup made from leftovers of the giant tomatoes the young girl had just grown that evening with her magic.

"So…miss Brooks-" The Hobbit tried to say but at that precise moment Balin made to ask Thorin from the table.

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?"

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms" Thorin nodded before gulping down another spoonful of soup.

"All of them, that's good" Balin and the other dwarves nodded in excitable agreement. Eventually Dwalin spoke up from his spot beside Gandalf who was seated next to the Dwarf prince and smoking a long wooden pipe.

"And what of the Dwarves from the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?"

Even if Ariel hadn't known the events from the Hobbit book top to bottom she still would've been able to guess Thorin's answer even as he sighed heavily.

"They will not come. They say this quest is ours…and ours alone"

"You're…you're going on a quest?" Bilbo stood up and quickly all eyes fell upon his intrigued face.

But Gandalf's eyes had darted to Ariel who at that moment was trying her best not to smile knowingly.

She caught his eye and gave a tiny imperceptible nod behind the hobbit's back.

 _So…Bilbo Baggins is the final member of our company…_

He gave her a small smile in return before addressing Bilbo who was doing his best to try and look as non-committal as he could though his interest was clearly spiked.

"Bilbo my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." The Wizard's smile widened to himself as he fumbled in a pocket of his grey tattered robes and took out what appeared to be a folded-up square of parchment which he proceeded to open.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak"

Ariel stood up to lean over one of Thorin's shoulders and when he was done lighting a small ca, Bilbo did the same.

"The Lonely Mountain" He read aloud off the flowing script above a map, which showed a mountain towering over a small lake and valley.

Ariel's eyes widened as she looked over every detail. Every tracery of ink was identical to the maps in the books she'd read back home in her world. Even the little imprint of the dragon above the mountain was the same.

"Aye" Gloin spoke up gruffly after taking a swig of ale from his mug. "Oin has read the portents and the portents say it is time"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold" Oin nodded gravely "When the birds of yore, return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end"

Ariel stiffened trying her best to keep the small squeak from within to burst from her.

In the wake of her excitement to meet the hobbit and the rest of the company of Thorin, she had totally forgotten that there was one giant scaly flying bloodthirsty reptile that she had to meet at the end of the journey.

Noticing and sympathising with her shock, Bilbo gulped nervously.

"Uh…what beast?"

"That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible" Bofur shrugged as he puffed on his smoking pipe. "Chiefist and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks…extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes, thank you I know what a dragon is" Bilbo rolled his eyes, as Ariel turned her back on the group to hide her now extremely pale face.

 _Fire breathing…fire…oh god…fire…no wait a moment girl just breathe, and think cold, cool thoughts of water…the waves on the beach…_

Ariel took a deep shuddering breath barely listening as Ori stood up to his feet and shouted out enthusiastically.

"I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up his jacksies!"

"Sit down!" Nori quickly pulled the younger dwarf down as Balin shook his head.

"The task would be difficult enough even with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best…nor brightest" he added and at this many of the dwarves began to cry out in offence.

"OY! Who are you calling dim?"

"What does he say-"

Eventually Fili's voice called out louder than the rest.

"We may be few in numbers, but we're fighter's all of us, to the last dwarf!"

"And you forget we have a wizard in our company" Kili added with an encouraging grin to said wizard who was trying to now make himself look as small as possible in his corner "Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time"

"Oh, well no…I wouldn't say-" Gandalf mumbled but then Dori cut across him.

"Well how many then?"

"What?"

"How many dragons have you killed?"

There was a very pregnant pause in which all eyes including Bilbo and Ariel's looked towards Gandalf who opened his mouth…only for a puff of pipe smoke to escape it.

"Oh come on then!" Nori prodded as many dwarves began to murmur insistently "Give us a number"

But when the wizard did not answer cries of outrage and argument suddenly broke out over the table.

"Hey! Hey calm down" Ariel tried to call out over the top of them only to be roughly pushed aside as Thorin jumped to his feet from his chair with a loud rumbling growl.

All the dwarves sat down in silence at once looking up at their leader with sudden docility and respect as he glowered down at them all.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance and take back Erebor?!"

The last word came out as more a battle cry to which the other dwarves cheered loudly to, save for Balin who was still looking grim faced.

"You forget the Front Gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain" At this the cheers fell away quickly into a deflated silence.

But as their heads fell Ariel raised hers as she stood up from the ground.

"Not entirely true. " she murmured softly and everyone turned to look at her sharply.

 _Crap…did I say that out loud?_

She cursed herself mentally, but Gandalf was quick to remedy her problem by coughing softly.

"Yes…yes you are correct Ariel" and smoothly he flicked out from the depths of his grey sleeves a large dark wrought iron key.

Thorin's eyes widened and when he spoke his voice was hoarse and thick with shock.

"How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain. It is yours now" Gandalf passed it carefully to the dwarf prince who took it and examined it closely.

"If there is a key" Fili breathed, exchanging awed glances with his twelve other companions "Then there must be a door"

They all looked at Ariel who nodded quietly.

"Yeah…there is one" she looked pointedly at Gandalf who quickly pointed out to a selection of runes on the still opened map that all pointed to a spot low on the mountain side.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the Lower Halls"

"There's another way in" Kili murmured and many excited smiles circled the table but Gandalf only sighed.

"Well if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere on this map, and I nor anyone else present at this table have the skill to find it. But there are others on Middle-Earth who can."

And with that he exchanged a rather tense glance with Thorin who narrowed his eyes back.

Gandalf rolled his eyes a little before returning to address the group at large once more.

"The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth. And no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done"

"And that's why we need a burglar" Ori pointed out to Bilbo who nodded in agreement, his eyes still fixed upon the map face.

"Hmm. And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine"

"And are you?" Gloin raised his eyebrows at the hobbit.

Ariel shut her eyes as Bilbo quickly looked around in surprise.

"Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert hey-ey!" Oin cried out as he tried his best to listen through a beautifully carved silver ear trumpet.

Now Bilbo jumped in his spot.

"Me? No-no-no-no I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins" Balin sighed heavily as he looked about the beautifully furnished room about him "He's hardly burglar material"

"Nope" Bilbo nodded contented that finally somebody was seeing sense.

Dwalin snorted into his mug.

"Aye the Wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves…" and at this he glanced very quickly at Ariel who caught the look with a small glare of her own.

"Dwalin stand down before you get yourself killed" Balin hissed as he delivered a swift kick to his brother's shins from under the table. But already it was too late as the arguing and bickering that had started from all over the table suddenly began to get louder, and louder.

"ENOUGH!"

Ariel and Bilbo both shrank back in alarm as Gandalf stood up to his fullest height, the shadows about him seeming to deepen as he spoke in a great booming voice.

"If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is."

And then just as suddenly as the darkness had come, it quickly died out and the candle light from the table flickered back to life. It illuminated the room just as brightly as before as Gandalf made to explain himself in a much calmer fashion as he sat himself back down in his chair.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf and human, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company. And I have chosen Mr Baggins."

Thorin however did not look so pleased at the prospect.

"What of the woman?" he gave a sharp look to Ariel who was doing her best to be inconspicuous by the wall once more. "She's no fighter and she's barely even passed into maidenhood. But surely even a weak and small mouse could be a burglar if it wished to."

"Uh, _excuse me,_ what's that supposed to mean-" Ariel's face flushed red but Gandalf was quick to steamroll over her.

"You are right, Ariel Brooks is no warrior, nor is she a fully trained sorceress. But that does not make her weak or useless. You forget, Thorin, strength can be found in many forms and in many places. And though it may sometimes not be easy to see at first, it is always there, hidden and just waiting for the right opportunity to show itself. The same could be said for Bilbo Baggins. There is a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself"

He looked upon Bilbo who looked back, not knowing whether to be flattered by the high esteem the wizard seemed to hold for him or to be horrified that he was chosen for such a perilous journey without his consent.

Gandalf quickly leaned in to murmur to Thorin, a sense of urgency lacing his grim tones.

"You must trust me on this"

"…Very well" Thorin nodded. "We will do it your way"

At once Bilbo's face fell like a stone.

"No-no-" he tried to protest but Thorin merely rolled over the top of him.

"Give him the contract"

There were many murmurings of ascent and giddy excitement as Balin reached into a satchel he had brought with him and pulled out a thick stack of parchment. When he caught sight of Bilbo's surprised face he added smiling.

"It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements and so forth"

"F-Funeral arrangements" Bilbo spluttered as the contract was shoved into his hands.

As he walked aside to peruse the article on his own Thorin spared a glance back at Ariel who caught his eye for one moment before quietly huffing and pointedly looking away.

 _Pff! That woman…so silly and petty…she carries that staff but she clearly does not know what to do with it. Not as a weapon nor as a basic tool. She'd serve better staying put in this hole and tending to a garden than traveling along a dangerous road in the Wild. Just what is Gandalf thinking of bringing her along?_

Thorin rolled his eyes to himself.

Meanwhile in Ariel's mind similar dark thoughts were swimming around derisively.

 _He comes trapesing into someone else's home, completely late, and then insults them and other people to their face just because they are different to his high and mighty expectations! Thorin Oakenshield king under the mountain? More like Thorin Okenshield king of the Douschebags!_

As he caught sight of the two moody faces, Gandalf pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to be the first time I see this kind of altercation between these two?_

"I cannot guarantee his safety" the dwarf prince murmured softly to Gandalf who leaned in to listen.

"Understood" he murmured though it wasn't that enthusiastic a reply.

"Nor will I be responsible for his fate…or _hers_ …" he added, glancing sidelong at a bristling Ariel.

"…Agreed" the wizard agreed solemnly just as Bilbo's voice wafted back into their ears.

"Terms: cash on delivery up to but not exceeding one-fourteenth of total profit, if any. Hmm. Seems fair. Err…present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence there of, including, but not limited to…lacerations?"

Bilbo's gut dropped as he quickly unfurled more of the paper to read the other portents which were slowly but surely getting more gruesome by the word.

"Evisceration… _Incineration_?"

"Oh aye" Bofur nodded as the hobbit turned to look disbelievingly at his uninvited guests.

"He'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye"

"huh?" Bilbo breathed deeply to hide the tiny whimper of terror that escaped him. Ariel bit her lip nervously as she reached out to put what she felt was a gentle and consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah…" the Hobbit gulped before he quickly bent over his knees to try and help the blood pump back down into his head as he took a couple of breaths before quickly straightening up.

"Actually, I feel a bit faint"

"Think furnace with wings" Bofur added as though using such weak euphemisms for an impending doom would help Bilbo's small panic attack.

"Let's get you some air outside" Ariel quickly took Bilbo by the shoulders trying her best to mime a stop talking action to the dwarves at the table who were all now watching amusedly as Bofur continued to ramble on.

"Flash of light, searing pain then: Poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash"

"Oh for heaven's sake would you cut it out!" Ariel growled, hands on her hips. But as soon as her hand left the shoulder of the poor hobbit he quickly keeled over unconscious onto the floor.

"err…whoops" Bofur grinned sheepishly at Gandalf who sighed heavily with exasperation as twelve voices barked with loud laughter.

"Dwarves"

* * *

"Here…camomile tea…it was the only thing I could find" Ariel smiled apologetically as she carefully placed a small but full and hot hobbit sized tea cup into Bilbo's trembling fingers.

"Thank you" he murmured when he finally had a good grip on the cup with both hands.

After a good deal of trying to settle everyone's mirth, Gandalf and Ariel had finally managed to wake up the poor terrified Hobbit up with smelling salts. Then after the wizard helped him change into a warm dressing gown they had set him down in a quiet chair by the hearth of his living room. Outside of it Ariel could hear many of the dwarves dawdled around the dining room, kitchen and hallway talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Well this has been an eventful evening" Ariel sighed heavily as she sat herself down in a chair opposite Bilbo running a hand over her face and through her dark russet locks, which the hobbit vaguely noticed looked redder in the flickering light of the fire.

"Yes…it has been very…very eventful…If you don't mind me asking Miss Brooks"

"Oh no, please call me Ariel. Everyone else does…or at least everyone did…back home."

"Right then…uh Ariel…once again if you don't mind me asking…how does a young lady such as yourself ever get involved in all this…magic…dwarves?"

"Well that's…that's a bit of a long story actually." Ariel snorted softly.

"Well then you can tell me the short version" The corners of Bilbo's mouth twitched upwards. It was such a relief to be able to talk normally and quietly after spending so many hours listening to such loud booming voices speaking of dragons and danger.

At this Ariel smiled softly to herself, though it was much sadder than he'd expected.

"Well…I guess…A couple of weeks ago I travelled across the sea from my home."

"With your family or-"

"No…no…I'm the only one who came. You see my brother he…he had an accident with magic and fell ill. We tried everything but nothing we tried worked…so I thought that I could perhaps find some cure here in this part of the world for his…uh…condition"

"Was your brother…did he do magic like you?" Bilbo wondered aloud but Ariel just shook her head.

"No, but he did run afoul of a woman who could and she…well…he's now stuck in an enchanted sleep thanks to her."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be hard for both you and your parents" Bilbo watched the girl sympathetically as she ran a hand through her hair, her green-brown eyes slightly overbright.

"Yeah…well…what's done is done. And now I'm here so I might as well can do what I can to try and fix the problem. At least I'm with Gandalf now. I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't found me and agreed to teach me. Though I don't know how I'm supposed to be having magic lessons if I'm going to be tagging along on this expedition."

"So you've just been dragged along for the ride huh?" he mumbled.

Ariel smiled.

"You could say that. But it's not been so bad. I used to go camping a lot with my dad so I'm pretty used to roughing it out in the wilderness. And as far as travelling is concerned we've got horses and ponies to carry the luggage so it's not too much of a strain. Touch wood nothing drastic has actually happened yet" she quickly added tapping the side of her wooden chair, just as Gandalf strode into the room.

"Ah Ariel there you are. Why don't you go get some rest, I'll look after Mr Baggins."

With this last sentence, he gave her a very pointed look.

 _Look after him? More like lecture the poor hobbit._

But nonetheless Ariel nodded at Bilbo who smiled back at her reassuringly.

"I'll be alright. I just need to sit quietly for a bit. There's a spare guest room just down the hall, last door to your left if you would like to rest for the night."

"Thank you." Ariel smiled gratefully as she got up to her feet and quietly walked out of the room.

Gandalf watched her go with a curious gaze.

He didn't know whether anyone had noticed, but as soon as Ariel had walked past the sitting room window, the potted plant on the sill suddenly sprang to life. Quietly it tried its best to creep its way to her only to shrink back into its pot when she was finally too far to reach.

He turned his attention back to the Hobbit in the room who was quietly watching the fire once more, his face a little more relaxed than it had been before.

 _Now to deal with you Mr Baggins._

* * *

Ariel tossed and turned on the small hobbit bed in the guestroom of Bag End.

It wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable. On the contrary, she was so content to just lie there and sleep in the warm soft marshmallow plushness forever more even if her feet dangled over the end.

No…the only reason she couldn't sleep was because her thoughts were focused on the face of a young man, with darker skin and hair, but with very familiar features to her own as he smiled and laughed.

Silently she reached down the front of her green dress and pulling out a golden chain on which a small pocket watch clock was attached like a pendant.

It had been a gift from her brother for her thirteenth birthday. He'd found it in a tiny thrift shop down the road from her house and had bought it for her with his first pay from his first job.

It was a pretty clock, easy to read set inside a golden case on the front of which was a blooming white rose made from white shell. On the back was a small sentence engraved in a neat print.

 _"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why we call it the present"_

"Don't worry Ian" she murmured tracing the white flower at the front delicately "I'll bring you back…I promise…"

She shut her eyes quietly only to open them again as she heard a small faint deep humming coming from down the hall.

At first she thought it was only just the wind by her window, but even as she listened more intently she heard the beginnings of a tune, mellow and sad.

Curious she sat up and slid out of the bed.

Since she'd taken off her boots to go to sleep her feet barely made any sound against the floor and so she was able to reach the corner wall outside of the sitting room just in time to hear the first lines sung by a deep voice.

"Far over, the Misty Mountains cold. To dungeons deep, and caverns old. We must away to break of day, to find our long-forgotten gold. The pines were roaring on the height. The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread. The trees like torches blazed with light"

Ariel quietly slid down the length of the wall curling her knees back up to her chin as she listened quietly to the song.

As she did she faintly could see in her imagination, tall snow-capped mountains and caves darker and deeper than any night she had ever seen and then the glimmer of gold under firelight. Only it wasn't just light…it was fire…a blazing red fire…the fire of a dragon…

And with that last thought her eyes shut and she slid into a darkness, deep and absolute as the blackness between stars.

* * *

When Bilbo opened his eyes, everything was as silent as a tomb.

He blinked once to let his irises get used to the light of dawn and then slowly and cautiously rose to sit upright.

He could hear nothing, save the familiar sounds of birds chirping and his neighbour's distant voices as they called out to one another on their morning errands.

He quickly slid off of his bed, his large furry feet cautiously feeling their way around the wooden floorboards as he padded out into the hallway.

He looked about quickly. Everything was silent and still and back in place.

 _They're gone?_

Excitement and elation flooded through him as he darted back into his room, got dressed into his shirt and britches in a flash before dashing back out again to investigate the rest of his home.

Empty! Empty from ceiling to floor, from every nook and cranny.

 _Empty. Empty. Empty!_

Was he dreaming? Or had last night been the dream? Had he really had thirteen dwarves a wizard and his apprentice over for dinner?

 _Oh, wait yes I did_

He nodded to himself solidly as he caught sight of his very desolate and empty pantry. However whatever anguish he felt at the loss of his foodstuffs was quickly snuffed out by his overwhelming relief to finally have his home back to himself.

"Yes!" he hissed victoriously as he exited the kitchen which was as spick and span as ever it had been.

He walked about his hallway for a while, whistling between his teeth and patting himself down repeatedly.

 _Yes! It's over! They're finally gone! They're finally…gone…_

His face fell slightly as he once again took in the space about them.

For a hobbit hole Bag End had always been rather large and spacious but when the whole company had come last night it had felt remarkably cramped and loud and…and fun and…

Bilbo suddenly felt his mind go blank….just like the room around him.

He wasn't quite sure why, but his heart twinged painfully at the thought.

Last night had been the first time in years he had had so many people with him in his own home. And whilst it had been a very hectic and haphazard affair, it was without a doubt one of the least lonely evening's he'd had in a long time.

 _No I'm just being silly. Besides they're dwarves and I'm just one hobbit_

But even as he made to turn around and go back to the kitchen to fix himself breakfast, his eyes caught sight of a large pile of papers on top of which a note was neatly placed.

Brow furrowed in confusion he picked up the tiny note in his hands and read aloud.

 _"Dear Mr Baggins. I understand we were all uninvited and it was rather a strain on you to accommodate us at such short notice, but even so I wanted to thank you for your kind hospitality. It was wonderful to have met you and I wish you the very best in whatever you choose to do. Yours Sincerely Ariel._

 _P.S. If you do change your mind about joining us we'll be leaving by the western road."_

Bilbo stared at the small piece of paper for a good long moment before carefully pocketing it as he looked upon the other large folded up batch it had been sitting on.

He gulped as he realised it was the contract from the night before.

At once unbidden, the familiar voice of a wizard floated over his mind.

 _The world is not in your books or maps, it's out there._

Bilbo paused for a moment and looked out of the window. The grassy hills outside were green and lush and life was peaceful and docile. But beyond that…beyond that…

Bilbo quickly looked back down at the paper in his hands.

"I must be out of my mind"

* * *

"Oy Mr Bilbo! Where are you off to?"

"Can't stop I'm already late!"

"Late for what?"

"I'm going on an Adventure!"

* * *

"Miss Ariel!"

"huh?" Ariel blinked. She was riding at the back of the long line of the dwarves' pony's doing her best to keep up but all the while her eyes strayed back towards the direction of the village of Hobbiton in the distance.

She looked up quickly, only to remember she had to look down to see who she was talking to.

It was Fili and Kili, both sitting atop two short dark ponies which they were steering back from the front of the long line to walk beside her at the back.

"Oh hello" she smiled as she patted her steed's neck and it nickered softly in greeting to the other equines. It wasn't a pony, but a tall strong horse. His coat was a fiery chestnut colour and he had a white star over his forehead.

Both the two young dwarves grinned as they exchanged glances with one another. Eventually it was Fili who spoke, his tone more gentle than his brother's.

"Hello Miss Ariel, the lads in front are having a bet and we were wondering if you'd like to cash in?"

"A bet?" Ariel quirked a brow "On what"

"Well…" Kili snorted in a very ungentlemanly fashion, unlike his brother. Ariel wondered if he was doing his best not to laugh "Since we left the contract on Mister _Boggin's_ desk we haven't seen hide nor hair of him close by"

"So" Fili continued still attempting poise "we were wondering that if mister _Baggins_ is not joining us then where would he be?"

"Still in his home probably" Ariel shrugged though inwardly she felt her gut drop. If Bilbo wasn't coming on this adventure after all…

"Exactly." Kili nodded barely noticing her worry "But some of the others and Gandalf think that he actually might come after us"

"And what do you think?" Ariel asked quietly.

"Dunno." Kili shrugged "But we just bet ten coins a piece to say that he would come"

"Uh…ten coins of what exactly?" Ariel questioned hoping that she didn't sound completely stupid. All her old money notes from her real world had been destroyed when she was washed up on the beach of the Grey Havens, and she still was unsure of what currencies were used on Middle Earth. So far she only knew the colours of the coins which were copper, silver and gold, though whether they were properly minted or not was yet to be seen.

However fortunately for her Fili did not pick up on her true anxiety and only shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's just silver coins really. We wouldn't bet our gold pieces, that would be catastrophic if we lost those. But what about you?" He added looking up at her with intrigue "what do you think will happen?"

Ariel paused for a moment and bit her lip in thought.

If she was honest with herself she was doubting now that Bilbo would indeed come, but even as such thoughts disturbed her mind she remembered that the adventure she was currently on wouldn't be called the Hobbit if said protagonist didn't even-

"Wait!" a voice called out loudly and breathlessly from behind. "WAIT!"

Ariel, Fili and Kili all turned round in surprise as something four foot high with a mop of brown curls and wearing a red jacket and dark britches over his large woolly footed feet dashed past them.

"Whoa" Ariel quickly tugged on the reigns of her horse as it whinnied in surprise.

She heard similar cries around her as the other dwarves made to halt just as Bilbo Baggins quickly skidded to a halt somewhere close to the front of the line. In his hands he was holding up a long roll of paper and waving it enthusiastically for all to see.

"I signed it!"

Ariel's face suddenly brightened as she recognized the red wax seal on the bottom of the last page. She watched with mounting excitement as Balin took the contract and looked it over.

"Everything appears to be in order" the old dwarf smiled, a twinkle in his blue eyes sparking as he looked down on the Hobbit below. "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield"

There were many a chuckle and grins from the others, even Thorin's mouth was twitching upwards in a small smirk.

"Give him a pony" he ordered only for Bilbo to immediately start protesting.

"No-no-no-no that won't be necessary. Thank you, but I'm sure I could keep up on foot. I've done my fair share of walking holidays y'know. Even got as far as Frogmorton once-AH!"

He cried out as two dwarves grabbed him by the straps of his camping pack on his back and pulled him up into the air as another dwarf behind led up a pony to slide beneath his behind.

Ariel snorted into her horse's mane at the momentarily stunned look on the Hobbit's face as a pair of reins were suddenly thrust into his hands.

Kili and Fili both joined her in her mirth and soon the three of them were laughing freely. Ariel could not remember a time she had laughed so hard over something so small. At least not since she'd been sent to this world.

She only stopped when she heard Gandalf's voice call to her from the front of the line.

"Ariel! Could you come up here please?"

"In a moment Gandalf!" she replied still smiling as she nodded to her two companions beside her. "Excuse me gentlemen"

As quick as could be she flicked her horses' reins and set him to trot swiftly up ahead, both brothers watching her progress.

"Well she seems to be quite lovely."

"Indeed. Let's just hope uncle doesn't chase her off" Fili muttered as he wearily eyed Thorin's dark head of hair from the back.

"Do you think he will give her trouble?" Kili frowned concernedly "I mean…she is after all Gandalf's apprentice and he respects the wizard."

"Aye but you know uncle" Fili shook his head "he's always suspicious of new people. He trusts Gandalf because well…it's Gandalf. But Miss Ariel on the other hand is a stranger, and women who study magic don't usually have good reputation-"

"Good Reputation? Che!" Kili snorted rolling his eyes "I don't care what uncle says, I like her. She's got spirit, and if Gandalf approves of her then that should be more than enough for all of us"

"Aye, I agree brother. I agree" Fili smirked, though as his eyes found his uncle's sharp gaze on the back of Ariel's head he sighed softly.

This was going to be an interesting journey, that's for sure.

Meanwhile while the brothers were talking Ariel finally reached the front of the line where Bilbo was currently walking his pony beside Gandalf's own dark brown horse.

The wizard seemed to be delivering a sermon to their newest member with much graveness and wisdom.

"-you were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. But home is now behind you. the world is ahead. Ah there you are my dear!" Gandalf's eyes twinkled with delight as Ariel made to trot her horse over onto his other side.

"What's up old man? Forgotten the directions again?" she smirked as said old man made to roll his eyes, though Bilbo noticed it was more out of fondness than true scorn.

Not like Thorin's glower as he and his pony skulked behind the three of them, keeping just far enough away to avoid looking suspicious, though still close enough to hear most of what was being said.

"No Ariel I have not forgotten any directions. I just wanted a small quiet chat with you before we go any further." Gandalf smiled reassuringly.

"Okay…" Ariel frowned as she noticed Bilbo quickly slow his pony down so that he fell behind and gave them privacy.

"I know this might sound like the prying and meddling of an old man like myself," The old man whispered as soon as the hobbit was out of earshot "and I understand that this journey is all incredibly exciting, but I just want you to remember that you are still the only lady amongst thirteen male dwarves and-"

Ariel sighed with exasperation "And let me guess, I need to play nicely with the other children?"

"Well, yes and no." the wizard muttered softly.

"What do you mean?" she tilted her head in confusion which only made the wizard sigh heavily.

"Ariel you must understand. You are not like other women most of these males have encountered. Many of the women here in Arda…well…They are usually not as strong willed nor as independent of thought as you are. Hence why you and your more forward thinking might come as a bit of a shock to this company and indeed many men you will meet along the way."

"As _shocked_ as a certain _someone_ behind me?" Ariel clipped tersely glancing back at Thorin who quickly turned away, pretending to look somewhere else.

"Unfortunately…yes" Gandalf nodded grimly.

Ariel narrowed her eyes darkly as she turned back to face the front, all too aware of the Dwarf Prince's eyes once more piercing into the back of her head.

"So what do I do about it? lay over like a dog and let him walk over me?"

"Oh no-no-no don't do that at all" Gandalf shook his head quickly "In fact stay as headstrong as you are and fight back if you must. I only tell you this so that you can be better aware of your…cultural surroundings. Even Elves can be discerning of women and they are a much more educated race than most."

"I'll keep that in mind" Ariel nodded but then quickly asked "Wait am I really headstrong?"

At this the wizard's eyes twinkled once more with amusement.

"Yes…very much so. But oddly enough, it suits you"

Ariel burst out laughing once more, not noticing Thorin's scathing glower to the back of her head of hair.

 _That damned girl what is she playing at. Looking at me as if I'm some villain._

Granted he was keeping a rather unusually close watch on her, but still. She was a witch. There was no beating about the bush. She was a woman who knew magic. She could potentially be dangerous to both him and his kin.

True she probably wasn't so bad if Gandalf asked her to be his apprentice.

 _But could it be a trap?_

Thorin wondered.

 _Could she be using that pretty face to deceive all of us?_

He sighed softly as Balin and his pony trotted up beside him.

"Why so glum laddie? We're on our way and we've got our burglar" Balin grinned, only for his smile to falter as he caught sight of Thorin's suspicious gaze.

He followed it and saw it fell upon the young form of Ariel, laughing as Gandalf told her a funny story of one of his more amusing adventures.

"I must say it's a shame she's human. She'd have made a lovely Dwarrow lass" Balin smirked as Thorin glowered at him darkly.

"She's a witch Balin"

"A witch who Gandalf trusts" Balin quirked a white brow much to his leaders surprise "Aye, I too was sceptical at first, but I think there's more to this one than meets the eye. She's got magic yes, but she's also got spirit. Besides, I don't think Gandalf would ever let a witch hoodwink him now would you?"

Thorin stayed silent, his scowl deepening as the girl started talking animatedly to the wizard who listened to her patiently.

 _First the wizard and now my advisor, this witch is craftier than I thought._

Beside him Balin watched his leader, his small smirk widening ever so slightly.

 _Now won't this be interesting…_

* * *

"Ow…"

Ariel scowled angrily as she rolled over once more in her spot on the cold earth beneath her body.

All around her there were loud snores.

It had been almost a full week since the Company of Thorin had set out from the Shire, but even so she still could not get used to the sleeping arrangements whenever they made camp.

 _You'll sleep like a log, he said. You'll be out in a heartbeat, he said. Said the damn wizard who could probably sleep through a hurricane._

She growled softly to herself as she sat up in her spot and looked about her.

The broad but short forms of Dwarves were scattered all around a small but warm fire.

She glanced at it warily and unconsciously rubbed the scar on her wrist just as someone else made to sit up from their spot. It was Bilbo and he also looked rather peeved. Even for a usually patient person like him this noise was sorely pushing it.

"Lovely night isn't it?" he softly snorted sarcastically as he caught her gaze.

"Oh yes delightful" she shrugged rolling her eyes. "If I wanted to listen to a tune of foghorns"

Bilbo chuckled softly at that as he made to stand up.

"Well, I'm just going to see if Myrtle needs more feed"

"You do that" Ariel yawned wide as she watched the Hobbit make his way over to his designated pony, a sweet calm mare who seemed already to be fond of her new master.

Though that may have been because of the small tokens and treats he was showering her with in secret.

Ariel watched in amusement, as Bilbo sneakily snuck the equine a juicy apple. Her own horse, whom she had now named Finn, was currently sleeping on the ground quietly unperturbed by the snores of the dwarves. That is until a strange screech sounded from far off in the distance.

Ariel felt her heart freeze at the sound. At first, she'd thought it was a bird…but she could have sworn she had heard words or syllables amongst the screeches.

Against her will her mind quickly redialled back to view a memory from nearly two weeks ago, of an old woman with a sharp vulture like face and fire in her claw like hands.

As soon as it was over Bilbo turned around to face the fire, where Fili and Kili were sitting wide awake on first watch along with Gandalf and smoking pipe weed.

"What was that?"

"Orcs" Kili nodded gravely.

"Orcs?" Ariel wheeled around to face them, eyes wide.

"Throat cutters" Fili explained quietly to the girl and the hobbit before puffing out a large stream of smoke from his nose. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The Low lands are crawling with them"

 _Orcs…brilliant…_

Kili made to smirk as he caught sight of her bristle.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood"

Bilbo's face paled as he looked out over the distant horizon which was illuminated in the moonlight.

Ariel quickly looked back at the two dwarf brothers who upon catching sight of her frightened face both began to chuckle softly.

"You think that's funny?" a deep voice growled and Ariel turned to see Thorin standing to his feet and glowering down at his two nephews with disappointment and severity.

"You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

Fili and Kili's smiles faltered as they averted their heads down to the ground in shame.

"We didn't mean anything by it"

"No, you didn't" Thorin snapped bitterly "You know nothing of the world"

Ariel felt a now familiar pang of irritation as the dwarf prince quickly gave a glance in her direction, but she kept her mouth shut. It had been happening for a while now. Every time he could Thorin found some excuse to quietly glare or give her a snide remark.

In return Ariel had taken Gandalf's advice and continued to react as she normally would, either ignoring the jibe or giving it back to him without mercy.

But she was too tired to put up an argument tonight. And it was with another yawn that she watched Thorin stalk off to brood on his own at the edge of the group.

"Don't mind him laddie" Balin's voice spoke softly as he walked up from his spot to stand beside the fire. He looked upon Fili and Kili with pity before turning his gaze on Ariel and Bilbo both of whom were looking confused.

"Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."

 _Moria…but isn't that where…_

Ariel stared with bewilderment as she listened raptly to the story unfolding.

"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc, had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin"

There was a pause in which Ariel faintly saw in her mind's eye a giant faceless creature bigger than three men with dirty grey skin and covered in blood, swing about a spiked club in its arms and felling lines and rows of sturdy dwarves in gleaming battle armour.

She gulped down a lump in her throat as she did her best to push aside the mental image of the creature roaring with bloodlust into the cold night air, so that she could listen to more of Balin's recount. However what came next out of the old dwarve's mouth was far worse than the images her imagination was conjuring.

"He began…by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us"

Ariel could almost see the dwarf army trying its best to run from the front lines of her nightmarish images of orcs, who seemed to be led on and spurred further into bloodlust by a hags horrible cackling laugh.

Ariel shuddered, clutching at her arms even though her elven cloak was covering her up warmly from the chilled night air. But then suddenly Balin's face was graced by a small warm smile.

"And that's when I saw him"

He looked towards the back of Thorin who was still standing some way away, listening quietly though his face looked distant, as if he himself was seeing the memories dance before him like a mirage.

"A young Dwarf prince facing down the pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armour rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. And so Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back and our enemy had been defeated"

Balin paused once more only this time it was to take a deep shuddering breath to compose himself, even though his voice shook a little as he made to speak again.

"But there was no feast, nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one who I could call king"

Thorin turned around slowly at the last word and gazed back at his company, all of whom had awoken during Balin's last few sentences. Their faces were determined and despite herself Ariel could not help but admire the loyalty or steadfastness in their eyes.

 _Well…I suppose everyone has their moments of greatness…_

She thought looking up at the dwarf prince who was looking about with both pride and gratitude at his fellow males. When his eyes fell on her however they narrowed slightly.

Ariel rolled her eyes.

 _-But he's still a douschebag!_

"And the pale orc?" Bilbo asked Balin, completely missing the tense exchange that had just happened. "what happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came" Thorin spat bitterly as he made to walk away once more "That filth died of his wounds long ago"

There was a tiny cough from the shadows and Ariel jumped slightly as she turned to find out the source. But it was only Gandalf choking a little on his pipe smoke.

She gave him a worried look but he only smiled it off with a small wave of his hands. But even as she made to turn away to tuck herself back in to lie back down on the ground to sleep, she could have sworn she'd seen him give a very faint sigh of uneasiness.

 _Odd…_

Ariel's brow furrowed as she rested her head upon her arm like a pillow and shut her eyes.

Gandalf was one of the calmest people she'd ever met in her life. What could possibly have him worried?

Little did she know that barely half a mile away, hidden in the shadows of the trees a shadowy figure mounted atop a great, hairy wolf like beast hissed in a vile tongue into the darkness of the night.

"[Send word to the Master, we have found the Dwarf-scum]

* * *

 **And there, whew! they're all finally out of the hobbit hole. So yeah still not many BIG changes to the story but more will come slowly but surely. like i said before I was pretty happy with most of what i had before (it just needed some extra add ins and edits) for the first few chapters of the original fic so i'm pretty happy with how it turned out now.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed and review for more ideas and feedback.**

 **Cheers**

 **Fuzzy Beta**


	4. Roast Mutton

**Chapter 4: Roast Mutton**

The group of tall horses and their riders all looked up at the grey skies above their heads.

"[My lord, if I guess rightly then we must find shelter soon. I do not think the heavens will be so kind in their offerings for today]" a fair voice spoke in a smooth tongue of the elves from under a dark hooded cloak.

"[Yes indeed]" a deeper but still fair voice agreed as another figure nodded under his own black hood, which turned to a horse and his rider standing apart from the main group.

"Estel!" The second fair voice barked as he watched the rider quickly hop off his horse and make to quickly forage in the ground.

This figure was slightly shorter than the others and its male voice younger as he made to call back in elvish:

"[Yes my lord?]"

"[Mount your steed again quickly. We need to move before the rain increases]"

The younger male, Estel looked up toward the heavens, revealing the rugged face of a young man…with no pointed ears.

He smiled as he beheld the first raindrops but was stopped from appreciating them by his lord's next call.

"Estel"

"Coming!" the boy Estel quickly mounted his grey steed, pocketing something small and white in his pocket.

He'd just seen it blooming there in the grass. It hadn't been there when they'd first arrived at that spot to rest from their hunting.

He wasn't sure what it was. What he was sure of was that it was important somehow…

Though how it was important he had no idea.

But he was to learn.

* * *

"'Ey Mr Gandalf! Can't you do something about this deluge?"

It had been now two weeks since leaving Bag End and it was now currently raining over the edge of the wild.

"It is raining master dwarf" Gandalf replied gruffly to Dori's complaint, not all together happy about the dampness himself "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world you should find yourself another wizard"

At this piece of information Bilbo looked up, still a little hunched over from trying to keep himself warm as possible.

"Are there any?"

"What?" Gandalf snorted but the Hobbit wasn't deterred

"Other Wizards"

"There are six of us, no wait actually…now there are seven. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. There are the two Blue Wizards…you know I've quite forgotten their names? Then there's the Red Sorceress Nuldien, and of course our newest member Ariel the Green" Gandalf quickly glanced to his side as Ariel came trotting up beside him completely soaked straight through the bone and looking very irate.

"And who's the seventh?" Bilbo asked his curiosity taking over his own irritation at the weather.

"Well that would be Radagast the Brown"

"And is he a great Wizard? Or is he more like you?"

At this Ariel couldn't help but snort at the look of surprise on Gandalf's face, though he was quick to mask it as he replied.

"I think he's a very great Wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the east and a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foothold in this world"

 _That's putting it mildly._

Ariel's jaw gritted tensely as a vision of a red eye burned into pale skin flashed over her eye.

"Ariel careful now." Gandalf's voice broke through her dark thoughts just in time for her to realise that her horse had stopped in its tracks.

"Fan-bloody-tastic" Ariel grumbled under her breath when Finn began to whinny with fright trying his best to tug at his feet which appeared to be stuck. She looked down fully expecting him to be caught in the deep brown mud they had just been trampling through all day. However, she was surprised to find that there were large vines curling and twisting about the horse's feet. She quickly grabbed her staff from a small holster on the saddle and pointed it towards the plant.

"Cut it out will you" she hissed using the staff to tap the vines which were now trying to creep up Finn's long leg.

At the touch of the green stone the vines instantly retreated into the mud though Ariel could have sworn that she heard the faintest of whispers escape it just before it sunk out of sight.

 _Talking plants? What's next a singing teapot? Dancing animals? Haunted woods-no wait a moment that's Mirkwood._

She rolled her eyes. Trust her life to end up being so weird.

Gandalf's eyes softened in patience and pity as he caught sight of the rather hard expression on her face. His new protégé was still finding it difficult to understand her new powers. Sometimes the plants obeyed her but there were other times, like now, where they seemed to have wills of their own. It was like her presence awoke them from sleep.

 _One of the many privileges of being gifted with nature powers I suppose_

The Wizard could only hope she could find a way to control it before it got out of hand. If something were to go wrong when she was in danger then it wouldn't bode well for anyone.

* * *

It was almost sunset by the time the company decided to stop for the day. Thankfully the morning rain had stopped several hours ago and they had all dried out in the sunlight of the day.

Now they were on top of a grassy hill on which square stones had been set though they were weathered down immensely and scattered over the green slopes, just before a small burnt down wooden structure.

From the looks of it to Ariel's eyes it might once have been a tiny house with a fence, only now it was burnt and charred beyond recognition or repair. She vaguely wondered who had lived there.

Gandalf seemed to be thinking along the same lines for he got off his horse and quickly strode up to the house to look at it more closely.

Seeing the wizard's movements as a good sign Thorin spoke loudly

"We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili look after the ponies, make sure you stay with them. The rest of you make camp and stick close"

"Yes because we apparently have nothing better to do than wander off" Ariel muttered under her breath as Thorin gave her a dark pointed look.

No matter how long they travelled with one another, the dwarf prince did not seem to trust her at all. Heck he didn't even let her out of his sight for one instant unless she had to make a pit stop in the bushes, and even then, he kept his eyes following her every movement in every direction.

It was like he was expecting her to bolt off at every chance available.

 _Maybe I should run off just to see him squirm_

She thought with a small smirk as she hopped off her horses back, stroking his mane down affectionately as she led him over to a nearby tree.

"Come on boy let's get you some food you've done good today"

Meanwhile at the remains of the small house Gandalf was looking about eyeing the blackened wood with a furrowed brow.

"A farmer and his family used to live here…" he murmured to himself just as he heard Thorin bark orders for Oin to get a fire going. The wizard cleared his throat and spoke loudly enough to be heard over most of the campers behind him.

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley"

But even as the last two words passed his lips Thorin strode up to him his face set in a grim determination.

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place"

"Why not? The Elves could help us, we could get food, rest, advice."

"I do not need their advice" Thorin growled low under his breath and Gandalf sighed.

"We have a map we cannot read; Lord Elrond could help us-"

"Help?" Thorin spat bitterly "A dragon attacks Erebor. What help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls. The Elves looked on and did nothing! And you ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather…who betrayed my father?!"

"You are neither of them" Gandalf remarked sternly this beard bristling as his mouth set itself in a taut line. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past."

"I did not know they were yours to keep" Thorin snapped back venomously.

 _Dwarves!_

Gandalf huffed softly as he turned right around and began to stride off, his grey robes billowing about him in his aggravation.

"Hey, everything alright?" Ariel asked as he passed her by but the wizard ignored his pupil. She exchanged a glance with Bilbo who himself looked very worried.

"Gandalf where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense!"

"And who's that?"

"Myself mister Baggins!" Gandalf snapped irritably as he brushed past a couple of dwarves muttering darkly "I've had enough of Dwarves for one day. Ariel you stay here and keep an eye on things"

"O…kay…" Ariel frowned as she watched the wizard make his way over the crest of the hill and out of sight.

 _What was all that about?_

But even as she looked about at the others she saw Thorin in the distance glaring over the group in a towering temper.

 _Oh, great King Grumpy-ass is pissed_

She rolled her eyes as she made to stretch out her arms only for her shoulder to twinge painfully.

 _And I've got a muscle strain and phew I'm smelling like a pig! Could this day get any better?_

"Oy Bifur could you go and collect water from that pond back in the forest?" Bombur called as he began to set up the fire along with Oin and Gloin.

Ariel blinked.

"Huh? Pond? What pond?"

* * *

Bilbo danced around on his fuzzy large feet nervously, his head twitching this way and that as he tried his best to not look so conspicuous in his observations.

he frowned before making to walk to the other side of the large fire over which a large pot had been placed to cook their night's dinner of rabbit meat stew.

"He's been a long time" he commented to Bofur who was filling up two food bowls.

"Who?"

"Gandalf."

Bofur only shrugged with a small smile.

"He's a wizard he does as he chooses. Here do us a favour and take this to the lads" he thrust two bowls of soup into the Hobbit's hands.

Bilbo looked around at all the dwarves all eleven of them had bowls…wait eleven?

 _Oh, that's right Fili and Kili are minding the ponies_

He nodded before setting off down towards the clump of trees where the edge of the woods they had just been travelling in were standing tall and intimidating in the dark.

He looked up and gulped before taking the first step inside.

At first, he wandered through the undergrowth aimlessly in an attempt to see the two youngest dwarves but they it seemed had gone rather far in.

He turned a corner, pushing aside foliage with his elbow only to jump in surprise as a female voice squeaked loudly.

"ACK! BILBO!"

"AH! Ariel I'm so sorry…I um…uh…ahem…I'm sorry" Bilbo quickly shut his eyes and turned his very red face away. "I'll just…um…err…go then shall I…sorry"

He quickly backed away the way he came keeping his eyes fixed down to the two bowls of food in his hands.

 _Well that was an eye opener and no mistake- NO! no must bring these bowls to Fili and Kili_

He shook his head out vigorously as he finally spotted a head of long dark hair in the distance.

Ariel groaned loudly as she face palmed.

She couldn't believe she just flashed poor Bilbo Baggins.

 _Just my rotten luck._

She groaned as mortified she sank back down into the watery pool she was bathing in.

She'd only just snuck into it barely ten minutes ago when she was certain none of the dwarves were looking.

 _Ten minutes too long it seems…_

She noted taking note of her fingers which were starting to crinkle up like the skin of a dried prune.

She was quick to dry herself off with her cloak before getting dressed once more.

In the light of the moon above she could clearly see her reflection in the now calm pond.

The leaves rustled about her as she made to scrub out her hair with her hands.

After being bound so long in a practical braid the red-brown locks now fell in thick waves about her shoulders almost like a mane and her light green-brown eyes worn out from sleepless nights and continuous riding through the day.

 _Well you aren't the same girl that went into that library that's for sure…_

What she didn't see was the huge shadow that had come looming up from behind her…

* * *

The young human Estel looked up to the sky. After a full days worth of rain the clouds had cleared in the late afternoon to reveal a glorious blue sky and golden sun.

Now it was night and the stars and moon lit up the deep blue black of the heavens much to his company's delight.

Though he himself was youthful and untouched by the frosts of age, all the men with him were all fair, with smooth long hair and slender pointed ears. Their perfect faces were both jolly and astute as they sang and chatted around their large campfire.

Despite being the only human amongst them, the youth felt very at ease. For these were the people he had lived amongst since boyhood. The men who had trained him.

And yet…

He looked out over the forest fingering the white flower that was still in his pocket.

Being human he knew he'd never have the gift of foresight, and yet he was certain he could feel something coming. Something that would change his life and the lives of others for years to come.

Little did he know that something was crashing through the trees kicking and screeching like a banshee as it was being carried off through that very same forest.

* * *

When Bilbo Baggins came up beside Fili and Kili the two brothers were simply standing still, staring at a point in the undergrowth of the wood where the remaining ponies were grazing for their evening meal.

The Hobbit blinked as he held out the two bowls in his hands for them to take.

"…what's the matter?"

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies" Kili gulped nervously.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem" Fili continued with a nervous bite to his lips.

"We had sixteen."

"And now there's fourteen"

Bilbo's heart dropped into his gut like a heavy stone as the three of them quickly made to examine which ponies were still there.

"Daisy and Mungo are missing" Kili said sternly.

"Well that's not good." Bilbo nodded in nervous agreement only for his face to fall as he caught sight of a gigantic tree before them all laying on its side.

"And that's not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Uh…no…" Fili exchanged a terrified glance with his brother "Let's not worry him"

"As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look in on it" Kili added hopefully at the Hobbit who was still staring down at the broken tree before him. It's roots were completely torn straight up from the ground as if pushed.

"Well uh…Look something big uprooted these trees"

"That was our thinking"

"Yes, something very big and possibly…quite dangerous" Bilbo gulped as he heard a faint crash in the distance followed by tiny feminine squeaks.

They all exchanged glances.

"Did you hear that?"

"I think so" Kili looked slightly unnerved but Fili was crouching down and peering through a gap in the trees ahead.

"Look there's a light over here. Stay down" he whispered as he gestured to Bilbo and Kili to follow him through the trees, the hobbit still holding securely onto the bowls of food in his hands.

The light was a reddish yellow and was large and flickering against a stone wall some way away.

They ducked quickly out of sight as they heard a bark of loud, booming thuggish laughter and Bilbo's face paled as he caught sight of a humongous hulking shadow appear in the light of the fire or whatever light it was ahead.

"What is it?"

"Trolls" Kili's eyes turned hard before he and his brother quickly made to hop over the log they were hiding behind. Bilbo followed quickly, only just remembering to bring along the food with him even though he wasn't sure why he needed them anymore.

He'd only just caught up with the two young dwarves when something came crashing through the undergrowth to his left. He only just managed to duck behind a tree just in time before a hulking grey skinned figure strode past.

It was huge almost as big as the size of the tree they had found uprooted, though it looked more like a giant boulder than anything, what with its grey rock like skin and thick fat grimy body which was only covered in a ragged loincloth.

In one arms, it was carrying two of the ponies and in the other a familiar figure of a girl in a green dress.

"He's got Ariel, Myrtle and Minty!" Bilbo whispered in terror just as Ariel made to hit the hard skin of her kidnapper.

"Shut up you twig and just stay still. You won't taste good if I kill you now" the troll gruffly growled before giving her behind a small pat with a single finger.

"Let me go mother f-ing bastard! You-"

"Huh…who'd have thought the Lass had such a mouth on her?' Fili and Kili couldn't help but raise their eyebrows even though Bilbo was hissing in horror.

"He's going to eat them, we have to do something"

Both brothers quickly looked at their burglar as the same idea seemed to dawn on them.

"Yes, you should. Mountain trolls are slow and you're small, they'll never see you" Kili whispered excitedly over the top of Bilbo's refusals "It's perfectly safe. And we'll be right behind you"

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl" Fili added before shoving Bilbo on ahead, making sure to take the bowls of food from him.

"Twice like a barn owl. No twice like a brown-once like a" Bilbo muttered trying and failing in his terror to remember the words. He turned around "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

But Fili and Kili were not there.

* * *

"Mutton Yesterday, mutton today. And blimey if it don't look like mutton again tomorrow!"

Ariel gulped silently not sure if she should find it awesome or terrifying to hear the familiar line from the book she was so fond of being spoken aloud by creatures that could kill her in two seconds flat.

She clamped her mouth shut as the troll that was carrying her and the ponies spoke up gruffly to his two fellows, who were both sitting around a bubbling pot over a large fire.

"Quit yer griping! These ain't sheep. These is fresh nags. And lookey here" he quickly added lifting up Ariel around the middle so that she was high above the light of the fire. "Desert fresh from the pond"

One of the two other trolls, who was fatter than the other two and wearing a large brown apron over his skin and loincloth, chuckled appreciatively whilst his other fellow made to grumble.

"I don't like horse. Never 'ave. Not enough fat on 'em. The girls' not any better"

"well she's better than that leathery old farmer" the troll with the apron grunted "All skin and bone he was. I'm still picken' bits of 'im out of me teeth"

There were deep chuckles as the troll who was carrying Ariel quickly shoved her into a large sack, tying up the strings at the top so that only her head could be seen, before dumping her beside the ponies who were corralled in a tiny pen side by side.

 _Oh god this cannot be happening_

She barely paid attention as the trolls squabbled over the large pot. Instead she tried her best to wriggle up to sit.

 _Just stay calm Ariel and think this through…they're just three big stupid trolls. You can easily get away from them if you're quiet._

As she thought this she felt around through the sack with her feet.

The ground beneath her was even enough. If she was quiet she could get to her feet and hop away in the sack before they could notice.

 _But what if they catch me? They're still three big trolls and I'm just one unarmed girl. Oh if only I had my staff-but it's back at the pond-_

She felt something tiny tap at her shoulder and would have almost squeaked in surprise had it not been for the hand that quickly wrapped itself over her mouth.

"Shh! It's just me" a familiar voice hissed quietly.

"Bilbo thank goodness." Ariel sighed softly in relief as the Hobbit quickly made to fumble with the ties of the sack.

"Don't worry Fili and Kili have gone to get the others-"

But just before he could untie the knot completely Bilbo had to duck down behind her as one of the trolls looked in their direction towards the ponies.

"Well I hope you're gonna gut these nags. I don't like the stinky parts OW!" he shrieked as the troll who was cooking whacked him hard over the head with a gigantic wooden spoon.

"I said sit down!"

"I'm starving" the troll that had kidnapped Ariel groaned "now are we havin' horse tonight or not?"

"Right there, gotcha!" Bilbo whispered as he finally finished untying the sack from Ariel who quickly tore herself out of the bag before pulling him to duck behind the pony pen.

"Quick we have to get them out" Bilbo whispered and they quickly made to untie the large ropes holding the nervous equines in.

After a few moments of tugging at the complicated knots Ariel huffed.

"They're too thick and tight, we'll need something sharp to cut them"

"And I think I know where to look" Bilbo whispered looking to the hip of the troll seated close to him. There fastened on a belt was a thin but sharp sword.

"Be careful" Ariel hissed as the small hobbit quickly darted behind the back of the troll more quietly than any mouse.

She felt her heart lurch in her chest just as something long and hard to hit her from above.

She looked up to see a series of long thick vines slip away from above her quietly with small soft indiscernible whispers.

She winced rubbing the top of her head as she glanced down at the ground at her feet to where a long redwood staff with a green stone set at the top was lying, glowing brightly in the night.

 _What the hell? Where-How?_

She picked it up quickly just as Bilbo reached out for the hilt of the blade on the trolls hip only for his bounty to escape his grasp as the dumb creature stood up.

He ducked quickly to avoid the troll's hand which had reached out to scratch its behind before sitting back down.

Bilbo gaged the distance for a moment and then took a small jump upwards but at that precise moment the trolls hand reached back and grabbed at him to reach a towel sized cloth that substituted for a handkerchief.

 _AHG! EWW! GROSS!_

Ariel gagged as the stupid creature swiftly brought Bilbo and the cloth to his nose and sneezed into it, coating the poor and very shocked little hobbit in all his snot.

"Bert! Bert!" the troll cried out in alarm as he caught sight of the contents of his handkerchief "Look what's come out of me hooter! It's got arms and legs and everything."

"What is it?" the troll called Bert tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know" the troll that sneezed whimpered in fear as he looked down into his hand "But I don't like the way it wriggles around"

And with a loud cry he dropped Bilbo onto the ground where he did his best to scramble to his feet, just as one of the trolls brandished a large knife at him.

"What are you then? An oversized squirrel?"

"I'm a burglar-uh a Hobbit" Bilbo squeaked trying his best to back away.

"A burglar Hobbit?" one of the trolls tilted his head whilst another one leered.

"Can we cook him?"

"We can try"

Bilbo did his best to run only to be cornered by the troll with the apron who looked down on him with a milky eye.

"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful. Not when he's skinned and boned"

"Perhaps there's more burglar-hobbits about these parts. Might be enough for a pie. Grab him!"

Bilbo's face paled as he caught a glimpse of a large arm in the corner of his eye. He ducked and dodged quickly as the trolls made slow heavy swipes.

"He's too quick" the sneezing troll screeched while the cooking troll made to smack his wooden spoon in the hobbit's direction.

"Bilbo over here" Ariel mouthed desperately from behind a troll.

Bilbo quickly dove between a pair of thick set grey legs.

Ariel reached out to grab him but before their fingers could even graze one another's one of the trolls had grabbed him about the middle.

"Right come 'ere you little-gotcha"

Ariel ducked to avoid getting seen or hit immediately regretting it as she saw Bilbo dangling upside down over the pot by the ankles. She gripped her staff tightly in her hand and the green gem glowed brighter still.

She shut her eyes as she felt a surge of energy pulse through her body, through every artery, vein and cell. All tiredness, all fear immediately began to vanish as her vision suddenly turned a strange greenish hue. But she was not afraid, for suddenly everything seemed all the clearer to her eyes, even though the darkness of night was so deep. She could see nearly every single plant that grew about her in sharp detail and she could feel their roots and leaves as if they were her own fingers and toes. She narrowed her eyes as she looked upon the three trolls and Bilbo who were all slightly more like blurs of dark shadows that weaved their way through the mass of green around a glowing hot mass that was the fire.

One of the trolls brandished his large knives and pointed it at his gut as he rumbled.

"Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't"

"No" Bilbo shook his head desperately.

"He's lying" a troll sneered.

"No, I'm not!"

"Hold his toes over the fire! Make him squeal!"

"NO!" Ariel yelled suddenly jumping out from her hiding spot and brandishing her staff before her. She smirked as through her green haze she saw the roots in the ground beneath her suddenly burst forth from the ground. Like snakes in a pit they slithered themselves around the legs of the troll with the apron who squealed in shock as he toppled to the ground with a heavy thud.

The other two trolls stared at her in astonishment as she gripped her staff tighter in her hands and hissed up at them.

"Drop him"

"You what?" a troll blinked stupidly at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I said drop him you-you _cretins_ "

"Cretins?" the trolls growled and then suddenly before either could react Bilbo sailed high through the air and right into Ariel who fell to the ground backwards, the latter's sight returning to normal colour and focus.

 _Crap._

Ariel gasped as she caught sight of the tied-up troll tear apart the leafy bonds over his legs.

"Witch! It's a Witch!"

The Trolls roared loudly and rushed forwards as the hobbit and the girl began to scramble to their feet.

"RUN BILBO!"

But the creatures did not make it to them.

Loud war cries rent the air as thirteen dwarves all sprang forth from the trees about the campfire their weapons of swords, hammers and axes all brandished high to strike.

They all darted between the legs and bodies of the three massive trolls striking and hitting at any points they could reach. However even though their weapons were wielded with great strength and precision they only created tiny scratches upon the tough hides.

Amid all the confusion Ariel felt a hand quickly grab her by the arm and drag her up.

"Quick get out of here lass!" Dwalin's voice gruffly called as he threw her towards the edges of the clearing.

"Oh no you don't you little-" a troll rumbled as it flung out its arm in her direction.

Ariel dove for the dirt and rolled to her feet just in time to avoid the large arm that swung her way.

Without thinking she thrust up her staff into the brute's face. It glowed brightly in his eyes and he cringed away with an almighty screech.

The other two trolls and some of the dwarves turned around at the cry just in time to see a mass of green light burst forth from the tip of Ariel's staff. Ariel herself stared in wide eyed shock just as the green light flew and wrapped itself around the monster's eyes like long whips, which quickly changed to solidify into long thick vines.

"Agh! My eyes! I can't see!" the troll bleated as he stumbled about tearing at his face to rip the makeshift organic blindfold off him.

"Get her! Get the Witch!" The two remaining trolls roared as they lunged towards her.

The dwarves did their best to come in-between but they may have just been flies on the wall for all the trolls cared. Ariel dove out of the way once more only this time she was hit hard by the thrashing blindfolded troll and thrown hard into a tree.

There was a resounding crack as she felt her ribs collide painfully with the tough thick trunk. Stars blinking in front of her eyes, she clutched at her side as she rolled over, doing her best to ignore the stabbing like ache from the injury.

She was in such pain that she didn't even notice the large grey hand stretching out to grab her once more.

There was a small ringing sound as a blade of metal soared through the air in a graceful arc before slicing into the mass of grey flesh, followed by several others. The troll howled in agony and reeled back as Thorin Oakenshield and his company all stood around Ariel's body readying their swords once more, only to stop dead in their tracks.

"Bilbo!" Kili cried out trying to balk forwards a terrified Bilbo was held up high in the air by both his ankles and wrists by two of the trolls (the latter of whom still had his eyes covered by the vines) while the third one snarled down at his companions.

"Lay down your arms or we'll rip his off"

There was a very ominous silence in which the hobbit feared for one shining moment that Thorin would fight on and the trolls would tear his limbs out.

However, he was very much relieved to find that the dwarf prince, though grim and reluctant, swiftly pierced his blade down into the earth in surrender.

* * *

 _That stubborn dwarf! I have never seen such pride in all my life._

Gandalf the Grey snorted as he paced up and down. He was in a small clearing he'd found just a few hours ago. It was secluded but from what he could feel it was safe and private. Just the kind of spot he needed to recollect his thoughts.

He was sorely failing.

"Thorin Oakenshield you really are a handful." He muttered as he put his pipe to his lips and took another long drag. He knew he should've been sparing it for later, for Eru knew how long they would be on this road. But his temper was too sorely pushed today for him to care.

 _I can only hope Ariel is faring better than I…_

He paused, guilt suddenly flooding him.

 _I probably shouldn't have left her alone with them. Should something happen…After all I am her teacher and I am responsible for her wellbeing no matter how resourceful she appears._

He sighed heavily. Being a mentor was certainly a new and odd experience.

Though he was certainly not the only one of his kind, none of his contemporaries had ever needed training. Oh, sure they all shared advice and tips, but all of them were already learned in great lore and the magical arts by the time they'd first arrived in Arda.

 _Why Nuldien thought it was a good idea to send someone who has no clue as to how to use her powers is beyond anyone's guess. But still…at least she's a fast learner…_

He looked up into the night sky and cursed softly.

 _Good Gracious have I been here that long?_

He should return quickly he supposed as he extinguished his pipe and snuck it back into his satchel.

But even as he turned back around to begin his journey back he paused to look again at the night sky.

Was it just him, or was there a huge bonfire in the distance close to where the company's camp was supposed to be?

"Oh dear…that's not good. Not good at all…" he murmured with a heavy sigh.

Today was just not the wizards day.

* * *

Ariel Brooks shut her eyes trying hard and failing to not wince or whimper in pain as her body was roughly shoved into a large sack once more before she was flung unceremoniously down into the large pile of dwarves in sacks on the ground.

She faintly heard the small oof beneath her as she landed with a soft thud, with her head in Thorin's lap, her body draped over Bombur's fat stomach and her legs right over Fili and Dori's shoulders.

"Ow" she cringed as her head collided with the back of Kili's who was laying down in the opposite direction.

"You alright lass?"

Oin called out from his spot next to Gloin. As the most medically experienced person in the company he had kept a close eye on all the dwarves and on Bilbo and Ariel for most of the journey, often patching them up if they needed to at the end of the day. His eyes were worried as he looked up and saw how pale the young girl's face had gone.

"Yeah…yeah…at least I'm alive…" Ariel shut her eyes tight and bit down hard on her lip as her entire left side throbbed with pain. "Though…I think I might have broken something"

"Where does it hurt?"

"Ribs…left side…"

"Ribs…" Oin gently muttered "Lass, feel at your side. Do you feel anything dented in or sticking out?"

Ariel shook her head as she rubbed her side.

"Good then it's probably only a fracture or a bruise"

There were several small sighs of relief at that, including Ariel's. At least with just a fracture it would heal faster and she wouldn't have to worry about damaging her internal organs.

 _Though it still hurts like hell!_

The dwarves' faces all twinged with pity as they heard a tiny whimper escape her despite her attempts to keep her mouth tightly shut. Even Thorin's brow furrowed with concern, though he did his best to keep his face set in its usual calm but grim state.

He knew just as much as the rest of them how much damaged bones hurt, and whilst he had grown accustomed to it over the years he wouldn't deny that they were still not pleasant to experience.

Besides, he told himself, she was a human. Her bones were so much more fragile than that of him and his kin.

"Try to relax and take deep breaths." He said softly as he looked down on her head in his lap. "It'll help take your mind off the pain at least"

Ariel nodded, not even noticing that for the first time since the two of them had met the dwarf prince was not using any snide tones with her, nor was he glaring.

She only did her best to inhale deeply through her nose and out through her mouth, her cheek leaning into his chest as she braced herself against every throb of pain.

Despite himself, Thorin couldn't help but admire her stubbornness as she refused to let herself cry or make a sound. Most young ones facing such an injury would be a wreck by now. But she was just keeping her jaw clenched shut as she steadied herself against him, listening to his heartbeat. It was a robust soothing sound, and Ariel didn't care who it belonged to, for it helped distract her from the pain.

Faintly to the other side she could hear the trolls grumbling as they made to snatch up several of the dwarves and tie them around a long spit which they then positioned over their large camp fire.

"oh! That's hot! That's hot! That's hot!" Nori cried out as embers flew up from the flames beneath and sparked against his cheek as he was slowly rolled over the top of it.

"Don't bother cooking them" one of the trolls grumbled loudly "let's just sit on them one by one and squash them into jelly"

But the troll with the apron shook his head and spoke in a slightly more refined manner as he mimed cooking actions over the bulky dwarf spit.

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage"

"ooh that does sound quite nice" the troll from before licked his lips hungrily just as many cries of protest escaped the pile of dwarves on the ground.

Ariel grit her teeth, still trying to take deep breaths even as Bombur jiggled his fat belly under her side.

"Untie me mister"

"Eat someone your own size" Gloin added but the third troll only steamrolled over the top of his gruff voice.

"Never mind the seasoning, we ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone"

In his spot beside Balin, Bilbo stiffened.

 _Dawn…dawn…oh wait that's right…trolls turn to stone in sunlight!_

"Wait!" he cried out loudly and everyone fell silent at once. "you are making a terrible mistake"

"You can't reason with them they're half-wits!" Nori cried out desperately and Bofur sighed heavily from somewhere below him over the fire.

"Half-wits? Then what does that make us?"

"I meant with the uh…err… the seasoning"

Ariel frowned and despite her pain peered up to watch as Bilbo managed to heave himself onto his feet and hop out into the open space. Just what was the hobbit doing?

Even the trolls were confused as they looked down on their captive with tilted heads.

"What about the seasoning?"

"We'll have you smelled them" Bilbo jerked his head towards the pile of writhing bodies beside him.

"You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up"

There were cries of outrage from the dwarves as one of the trolls leered down at Bilbo with a discerning eye.

"And what do you know about cooking dwarf?"

"Shut up" the troll with the apron approached Bilbo eagerly "Let the flurgaburburhobbit talk"

"The secret to cooking dwarf is…is…" Bilbo glanced quickly at his friends for help though they were just as in the dark as the trolls…except for Ariel whose eyes widened at once.

 _Bilbo, you sneaky son of a gun_

"Yes? Come on. Tell us the secret" the troll pressed. "Come on tell us"

"Yes, alright I'm telling you! the secret is too…"

"Spices" the girl mouthed widely at the hobbit "think spices"

"To skin them first"

"BILBO!" Ariel groaned as the dwarves around her cried out angrily.

"What?! Skin us?"

"I'll skin you you little-"

"Tom get me filleting knife" the apron clad troll sneered widely only for his fellow to snort derisively.

"What a load of rubbish. I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scarf 'em I say boots and all"

There was a small rustle in the trees and Bilbo quickly saw just atop the rocky wall behind the trolls a glimpse of a grey robe flicker out of sight.

 _Gandalf…_

His heart raced with joy only to fall again as one of the trolls reached forwards with an inane grin and snagged Bombur's legs.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf"

Poor fat Bombur whimpered in fear as the large creature dangled him up before his wide hungry mouth by the ankles, a disgusting red tongue flicking out for a small taste.

"Oh no not that one. He's infected!" Bilbo cried out.

"He what?" a troll blinked stupidly.

"Yes…he-he's got worms…in his…tubes" Bilbo gulped nervously as the excuse spewed out of his mouth like word vomit.

Had Ariel not been in such agony she would have laughed at the horrified looks on the trolls faces as Bombur was hastily dropped to the ground, his body bouncing a little like a giant beach ball as Bilbo continued to lie through his teeth.

"In fact, they all have worms. The girl as well. They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it I really wouldn't"

"Parasites?!" Oin cried out in anger "We don't have parasites"

"Yeah, we don't have parasites, you have parasites!" Kili retorted childishly to the irritation of Ariel who quickly jerked her elbow into Thorin's knee just as he opened his mouth to yell.

"Play along" she mouthed jerking her head sideways in Bilbo's general direction.

"What?" Thorin frowned. But even as he followed her gaze the lightbulb in his head went off. Quietly as he dared he delivered a swift kick to Kili's lower back which jostled the entire group into stillness for a moment before Oin grunted out.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm"

 _Idiots…_

Had Ariel's hands not been inside her sack she would have face palmed at some of the ridiculous shouts she heard in her ears.

"Mine are the biggest parasites!"

"I've got huge parasites"

"We're riddled."

"Yes, I'm riddled"

"Yes, we are badly"

But one of the trolls was not convinced. He thudded up to Bilbo with narrowed eyes.

"What would you have us do then huh? Let them all go?"

"Well…" Bilbo shrugged only to be caught gruffly by a large hand and shaken lightly.

"You think I don't know what you're up to. This little ferret is taking us for fools"

"Ferret?" Bilbo spluttered indignantly just as a deep elderly voice called out loudly from above.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Everyone looked up and their eyes widened in astonishment to see Gandalf standing atop of the high stone wall, his staff raised high above his head.

The trolls all blinked in stupid confusion

"Who's that?"

"No idea"

"Can we eat him too?"

But they never even had the chance to move. With a strong strike, Gandalf brought the end of his staff hard down upon the rock splitting a large chunk off to his side away so that a blinding golden light streamed through onto the campsite, suddenly making everything bright once more.

All three trolls groaned and grunted in pain as the beams of hot light hit their tough skins which began to sizzle and crackle as slowly but surely, they turned from flesh to stone.

Ariel watched amazed as the last small fleck of dust hissed and fell gently to the ground as the smallest finger of the last of the trolls solidified before her very eyes.

Gandalf smiled down at his work and as he hopped down there were many a cheer from the dwarves, though Dwalin could be heard complaining loudly about having someone's foot in his back.

* * *

The old wizard was quick to dash over to the dwarves on the ground who he proceeded to swiftly untie. Once they were all on their feet they made to help undo the knots about their friends wrapped around the spit over the fire, which was hastily put out before it could burn through the ropes on the underside of the log.

As they worked the sun rose higher and higher above the horizon and Ariel soon found herself sitting on the ground beside a large tree log as Oin made to prod at her sides gingerly assessing the damage.

She winced once more just as Gandalf came around to check on them after helping untie Dwalin's bonds.

"Well, well, well Ariel. What is this I hear about fighting with some new magic at hand and breaking your bones?"

"Fracture actually" Oin corrected the wizard as he pulled away. "Though it was a close shave to being broken. There's nothing I can do further I'm afraid save say that she'll have to rest up and take it slow for the next few days at least."

"Yes, or perhaps…" Gandalf trailed off before reaching out with a hand and hovering it over the left side of her body.

Ariel strained her ears as she heard him mouth and mumble a few strange words under his breath. But even as she opened her mouth to ask him she felt the pain in her side subside into a tiny twinge.

The old wizard pulled his hand away and she gasped.

"Thank you"

"You're welcome. But what I've done is only a small temporary fix for the pain. You still need to take it easy or else it will worsen. Just don't go fighting trolls any time soon" Gandalf's eyes twinkled as Ariel rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes because I thoroughly enjoyed being battered around by giant brutes with the intelligence of five-year old's."

"Well whatever they did, I think it's safe to say you've had enough excitement for one night. Rest up. You've earned it."

Gandalf smiled, patting her on the head before walking away.

As he passed by the stone statues of the giant creatures he tapped them with his staff and smirked at how hard they'd become.

 _Well at least there's that trouble sorted out_

But even so he frowned as he looked up towards the head of the most hunched up figure of them all.

Over the top of his face was a mass of thick green vines which twisted and writhed about wildly over the now smooth stone surface.

Gandalf gingerly hovered his hand over the plant life concentrating hard. They had a sense of great mystical energy about them.

 _Hmm...this kind of magic has not been seen for an age…not since Nuldien herself was here…_

"Hmm…I wonder…" His eyes quickly turned back to where Ariel was now standing up and talking with a very much relieved Balin, leaning on her staff, the green gem within glimmering a faint green in the morning light.

 _Nuldien of all the people you could have sent…why was it this girl? True that her heart is in the right place…but you wouldn't have sent her here unless she possessed some secret? Just what are you up to?_

"Where did you go to if I may ask?" Thorin's voice called quietly as he came around one of the trolls to face the thoughtful wizard.

"To look ahead."

"And what brought you back?"

"Looking behind" Gandalf's eyes twinkled with faint amusement "Nasty business. Still you're all in one piece"

"No thanks to your burglar" Thorin raised his eyebrows.

"He had the nerves to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that" Gandalf smirked.

"Nor did we ever think that a young witch would fight alongside us" the dwarf prince looked to the vines about the face of the stone troll warily.

Gandalf's eyes hardened darkly on Thorin's face.

"Ariel Brooks is no witch, nor should she be mistaken for one. A true witch is a dangerous being, one you would do well to not mock."

"Then what is she then?" Thorin hissed pointing up at the vines over the stone troll's eyes. "Because this looks an awful lot like witchcraft to me"

"To the untrained eye I suppose it does." Gandalf traced the green vines which glimmered under his touch "but this isn't the product of dark magic. No this…this is much older…purer even. A magic from a more ancient time. Magic in short that I have not seen in many an age"

"And yet it is harnessed by one so young?" Thorin scoffed

"I admit I am at a loss for how such a thing is possible" Gandalf murmured softly before coughing and straightening up importantly. "Yet, strength of mind nor body is not determined by age or gender."

"True…but still her blunders have proven to be quite troublesome. Had she been more attentive to her surroundings, none of us may not have had to go through all that fuss with these trolls. Not to mention she froze right in the middle in the fight-"

Gandalf's sigh was heavy at this.

"Yes, she is inexperienced, and as a result mistakes will be bound happen. But she's not the only one. Look at Fili and Kili, they still occasionally fall over their feet from time to time no matter how much you try to prepare them. And you forget too, that she has barely flown from the nest and travelling far from home amongst a group of strangers, discovering strong new powers and experiencing dangers that she could never have imagined. Can you really blame her for being frightened?"

There was a small pause in which the dwarf prince seemed to ponder the wizard's words before nodding quietly.

"I guess it could've been worse" He murmured. "She's lasted this far and she could've run off dozens of times when things got too tough-"

"But she stayed and did what she could even if she got hurt." Gandalf's beard bristled a little as he smirked knowingly "and not just her. Both Ariel _and_ Bilbo Baggins are not warriors nor are they great heroes and yet when they were placed in difficult life-threatening situations they still managed to be brave and face their fears to help others."

And at this Gandalf looked over the trolls once more his brow furrowed in concern.

"They must've come down from the Etten moors"

"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" Thorin frowned also.

"Oh, not for an age" Gandalf shook his head "Not since a darker power…ruled these lands…"

His voice fell away for a moment as a tense silence ensued between the two of them.

Finally, after looking in the direction of the morning sun he muttered.

"They could not have moved in daylight"

Thorin quickly looked about them.

"Then there must be a cave nearby"

* * *

Ariel was the slowest to reach the large mouth of the troll's cave as she was leaning heavily on her staff for support. It was like Gandalf had said. He had treated most of her injury with magic however it had not been completed and too much movement still made it hurt.

And so, it was with great relief that she sat herself down on a large rock outside the hoard and leant back against the rocky wall.

"Breath in and out" she muttered to herself just as she felt someone sit down beside her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine" Ariel opened her eyes to see Fili who had two large red apples in his hands.

"Here" He held one out for her to take.

"Thanks" she took it gratefully and took a bite.

After an entire night of no food the sweet juice on her tongue was almost like heaven and she was quick to start devouring the fruit at top speed.

"Whoa there! Hold up-hold up" Fili chuckled putting a hand on her arm to stop her from taking another bite "just take it slow will you or you'll get sick"

Ariel could not help the small almost painful catch in her chest as she looked down on his hand over her arm. Except she didn't see the dwarf's pale digits. Instead before her eyes it was a large dark-skinned hand as a voice echoed in her mind.

 _"Woah slow down Airy-fairy the food ain't goin' anywhere"_

Fili quickly let go of her his brow furrowed in concern as he caught sight of the melancholic look over her face.

"Hey…what's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Ariel blinked looking up at him in surprise. Then she remembered herself and quickly smiled "Oh no It's just my ribs…and you're right I need to take it slow"

"Ah" Fili nodded in understanding before smiling up at her. "That was your first time, wasn't it?"

"My first time?"

"Your first time fighting."

"Oh!" Ariel blinked "Yeah it was. Though I'm not sure whether I was more a hindrance than a help"

"Hindrance? What do you mean hindrance?!" came Kili's voice as he came to stand in front of both his brother and Ariel munching on an apple and grinning down at her "You took down two trolls on your own. If anything, we probably hindered you from nabbing the last fellow"

"Oh, no-no I couldn't have possibly have-" Ariel blushed shyly only for both brothers to quickly speak over the top of her.

"No, you could've and you would've-"

"You've got to have more faith in yourself Miss Ariel-"

"-besides did you see the looks on their faces when you got that one in the eyes"

"Ha! Absolutely priceless"

Kili guffawed as she covered her face in her hands to stop them from seeing her face which was now almost redder than her hair which Fili then proceeded to ruffle.

"Agh hey! Hey! Watch it! My hair has enough tangles in it already" Ariel giggled trying to swat off the hand. All the dwarves around them chuckled as Ariel tried to comb it through the bird nest atop of her head with her fingers just as Thorin's voice called out loudly.

"Something's coming!"

"Stay together" Gandalf called over the confusion as the dwarves "Hurry now! Arm yourselves. Ariel get up!"

Ariel barely had time to grab onto her staff beside her before the Wizard passed her by, grabbing her arm and dragging her away at once along with the others just as the sounds of something large plundered through the undergrowth of the woods around them.

Ariel gulped only to sigh heavily as she and the company hit a dead end.

 _Oh, great. We're trapped. AGAIN!_

She grit her teeth as she wheeled around ignoring the pain in her side as she held out her staff in front of her just as something burst through the bushes in front of them.

"Thieves! Fire! MURDER!"

All fifteen members of the company stared in shock. There in front of them all was a strange sled like contraption. However instead of horses or ponies being tethered before the sled, several oversized brown rabbits were bristling in bridles some twiddling their whiskers as they looked up at them with wide brown eyes.

Ariel would have almost cooed down at the adorable creatures had she not been so distracted by the man in tattered brown robes riding on the sled behind them. He was about her height with a long grey beared flecked with brown that framed his elderly face at the side of which seemed to have a smear of bird poo over the left side. His eyes, though a warm brown hazel were manic with panic as he panted through a mouth that had several missing and misshapen teeth.

For some reason, he reminded Ariel of an oversized squirrel.

"Radagast!" Gandalf sighed heavily with relief as he stepped forwards "Radagast the brown. What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you Gandalf" he replied quickly. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong"

"Yes?" Gandalf eyed his contemporary warily as he opened his mouth to speak, only to pause.

At this Bilbo glanced around awkwardly to the other dwarves who all exchanged equally confused looks as the brown wizard fumbled over his words before groaning.

"Oh! I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was right there, it was on the tip of my tongue and-oh!"

Radagast's eyes suddenly widened in dawning comprehension as he opened his mouth.

"Oh, it's not a thought at all! It's a silly old…stick insect" he finished as Gandalf gingerly reached forwards and pulled off the tiny bug off his tongue.

Ariel drew back slightly as Radagast gave a tiny laugh, holding out his hand for the stick insect to jump into before hopping off onto the ground.

At the sight of it she gripped her staff tighter in her hands and the green gem in it glowed, a light humming sound filling the clearing.

Radagast and Gandalf quickly turned around, the formers face once again becoming shocked.

"By my word Gandalf…"

"Ah yes, Radagast, let me introduce the newest member of our order. Lady Ariel the Green. Ariel this is Radagast… the Brown…" Gandalf's voice faded as he watched Radagast hobble up to Ariel, his face alight with astonishment and awe.

"is this…can this be…Oh…but it is!" He cried out in delight as he caught sight of the green gem in her staff. "Gandalf! Gandalf! It's her! It's really her! I knew it! I knew she would come-"

Ariel backed away unnerved at the estatic, almost manic gleam in the older wizard's eyes. It did not help that he was slightly cross eyed.

"Uh…sorry sir but do I know you?"

"What? But surely you-"

Radagast paused as Ganalf put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'll think it'll be better to explain in private after you tell me what you have to say."

"Right…right of course. Well my dear I guess I will have to talk to you later" Radagast smiled warmly as he bowed and tipped his hat, from which a blue bird flew out of, and tittered away excitedly to talk to Gandalf.

A few minutes after they had moved off to a safe distance all the dwarves sighed in relief and confusion.

"What was all that about?" Bofur scratched his head.

"No idea." Nori turned a suspicious eye on Ariel who scowled.

"Hey, don't look at me, I only just met the guy-ooh!" she winced clutching at her side.

"I'm okay" she replied in answer to Bilbo's worried face as he rushed to help her sit on a nearby boulder.

"Well this has been a nice day" He muttered softly as one of the rabbits came up to sniff at the girl's boots. "I mean…apart from almost getting eaten alive by trolls and stumbling into another wizard"

"Yeah…" Ariel agreed quietly as she scratched the animal's ear "though something tells me that this is just the beginning of our strange adventures."

She quickly glanced to her left where she knew that just down the small hill Gandalf and Radagast were talking quietly in hushed voices. What was being said exactly was beyond her but she guessed in her gut that they were talking about something grim and dark.

 _Which is odd because Radagast was never meant to meet us nor appear in this story._

Ariel frowned as she did her best to track through her memories of Tolkien's works for more information.

 _Ok…we've left Bilbo's house in the shire. Travelled for a while and met the trolls…now we should be heading to Rivendell. Only Thorin has a grudge against the elves, so unless Gandalf has a plan we're not going to be able to decipher the runes on the map to the lonely mountain let alone continue with the quest through the Misty Mountains…wait the mountains…Bilbo…the ring!_

Ariel's hand stilled over the rabbit's fur as a horrible chill swept over the back of her neck.

Oh god how could she have forgotten! The One Ring was still out there as was its master…its master who was currently in Mirkwood where Radagast dwelled!

"Ariel? What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to them" She quickly stood up ignoring the pain in her side and Bilbo's hesitant voice as she made to hobble over towards the two wizards only to stop mid step.

Something was howling far off in the distance.

There was absolute silence from everyone as they listened, all their faces paling at once.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo gulped "Are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves?" Bofur's voice trembled as he shook his head just as a snarling sound came from high up above them "No that's not a wolf"

They all turned just in time to see a giant canine like creature with sharp teeth and dark fur matted with blood and dirt roar as it charged down swiftly to all of them.

Ariel screamed as the beast leapt over her ducking head to pounce upon Dori who was standing behind her.

Thorin leapt in at once and swung his mighty sword down on the neck of the beast, cutting its head clean away from its body just as another snarl came up behind him.

"Kili get your bow" he yelled and at once his nephew whipped out his weapon and loosed an arrow into the shoulder of another dark canine that tumbled out of the way snarling as it stumbled onto its feet.

However, it did not get in a chance to retaliate as Dwalin's large hammer smote into its skull just as Gandalf and Radagast leapt up the slope towards them.

"Warg scouts" Thorin grunted as he heaved his blade from the neck of the first warg he'd slain. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind"

"Orc pack?" Bilbo snapped his face going paler and paler by the minute.

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf glowered down at Thorin who was looking a fair bit bewildered.

"No one"

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" he asked desperately.

"Your being hunted" Gandalf growled in aggravation which seemed to be shared by Dwalin.

"We've got to get out of here"

"We can't! We have no ponies or horses. They bolted" Ori cried out as both he and Bifur came scrambling down the hill from where the companies camp site had once been.

Ariel felt her heart sink into her gut. Orcs were riding on Wargs and they were on foot. This was just spelling out suicide!

"I'll draw them off" Radagast nodded determinedly as he made his way to his sled.

"But these are Gundabad Wargs" Gandalf rolled his eyes "They will out run you"

"And these are Rhosgobel rabbits" the brown wizard smirked "I'd like to see them try"

 _That's it… We're doomed._

Ariel facepalmed. Talk about a rough morning.

Little did she know it was only going to get rougher.

* * *

 **And here you go. A much longer chapter 4. Yeah i think i'm keeping my Word limit around 10,000. any more than that and it'll just be ridiculous.**

 **So yeah, introducing some new *cough cough* characters into the plot. And finally, i'm getting down to the changes i wanted to make. (took me long enough)**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and as always review if you liked or have feedback.**

 **Cheers**

 **Fuzzy Beta**


	5. Hungry Like the Wolf

**Chapter 5: Hungry Like the Wolf**

The company of the Elves were relaxed and merry as they prepared to mount their horses. The day was bright and fair, midday was closing in and there was no cloud as far as their sharp eyes could see to signal any late rain in the afternoon.

The only one who seemed at all restless was the young human man that walked amongst them like he was their own kin. He was already armed and mounted upon his horse and eagerly trotting towards the edge of the forest he and his company had sheltered in for the night.

"Estel! Stay your steed. Enjoy the last of the morning before the sun rises high" his lord commanded with a stern but affectionate call.

But Estel wasn't listening, his eyes were trained on the distant horizon and of the sounds of something howling.

His young face paled, as both dread and excitement filled him.

Wargs were out there somewhere. Probably with Orcs as they seldom travelled this far away from their territories on their own.

Of course, that made them even more dangerous to approach, even when one was fully armed and on horseback. But Estel had been raised by great elves and warriors, and he was certain that if he and his company rode forth to find the foul creatures he'd finally a chance to prove himself a worthy warrior to his lord and father.

But before action could be taken, there had to be a scout.

Good thing he was already on his horse…

"Estel! WAIT!"

* * *

Ariel's heart was leaping through her chest as she ran alongside the dwarves behind the large rocks. They had left the safe cover of the forest and were now hiding in the plains behind various large old rocks. All around them in the distance a pack of wolves mounted by indistinct dark humanoid creatures rushed past in a cacophony of snarls and howls.

"Come quickly" Gandalf hissed as he quickly darted out into the open space once more keeping himself almost doubled over in an attempt not to be seen from a distance.

The fourteen members of the company followed quickly, Ariel being led in the middle by Bilbo who had a small blade drawn before him that glowed blue that changed in intensity depending on the distance of the pursuing orcs.

She felt the Hobbit's hand grasping onto hers tighten considerably as the last of the pack ran off after Radagast's rabbit sled and off over the hills.

Thorin had commanded him to keep close beside Ariel as they ran, though now it seemed as if he needed the support more than she did, if his pale panic stricken face was anything to go by.

She gripped his hand tighter in return trying her best to convey whatever comfort she could even though she herself was gasping for breath. Her ribs were still aching terribly and with every dash she took, she became more and more exhausted as if she were running marathons one after another.

Despite all that she had some good feeling about this endeavour.

Radagast's steeds seemed to be giving the orc pack a run for their money and if they were careful enough they could make it out of there alive.

But even as the thought crossed her mind she tripped over her feet over a hidden patch of stone on the grassy ground behind a great boulder. She hissed in pain as she felt the skin on her hands literally peel off and felt something warm and slick coat the palm of her hand.

Thorin's eyes suddenly whipped around to her as she was tugged onto her feet by Bilbo, and he sighed heavily before drawing out his sword.

"Bind it now, and be quick." he growled much to Ariel's chagrin. However, she was distracted by Bilbo as he hastily wrapped his own handkerchief over the cut..

"That should hold" he muttered as the tiny hurried knot was put in place just as something thudded from atop of the boulder. All fifteen of them quickly made to flatten themselves by the side of the stone, Ariel making to crouch down, because of her height, her heart hammering in her chest.

Thorin quickly chanced a glance upwards.

A warg and its rider were currently pacing about on the flat top of the large rock, both sniffing the air and snarling maliciously.

They'd obviously smelt the blood from Ariel's small cut and had come to investigate.

 _Just a tiny smear of blood…that was all they needed…_

Thorin's hand gripped at Orcrist tight as he silently nodded to Kili who stood beside him carefully readying his bow and arrow before quickly stepping into their attacker's line of sight.

He shot at the warg first which gave a loud roar and screech as it toppled over the side with its rider who rolled off it onto the grass to stand unsheathing a bloodied sharp scimitar.

Ariel felt whatever scream she had die in her throat at the sight of the orc.

Whatever she had read in Tolkien's book did no justice to the horrific sight that lay before her.

It was squat, broad and had dark sallow skin with a flat nose wide mouth and a pair of nasty orange-yellow slanted eyes. He bared his mouth in a snarl at them, exposing long fang like teeth as he charged waving the sword in his long arms in a frenzy. As he did, his smell of rotted flesh and filth wafted towards them, sullying the scent of the fresh grass and cool air around them.

Ariel cringed away, unable to watch as Bifur and Dwalin leapt in quickly, striking and hitting the foul creature with their axes and swords. The smell of blood filled her nose as it was hacked limb from limb, it's screeches of pain spluttering to an abrupt stop as his skull was bashed in with a heavy blow from a dwarf's hammer.

"Oh my…" Ariel clapped a hand over her mouth as she opened her eyes and saw the dwarves back away from the bloodied corpse on the ground.

"Aye…we know lass. It's not a pretty sight" Balin muttered as he glanced sidelong at both the faintly sick young girl and the stunned hobbit beside her.

Then came the howling once more in the distance.

Gandalf's face paled with panic though he did his best to keep himself calm as possible as he shouted.

"This way! GO!"

"Come on"

There was a tug and Ariel forced herself to gulp down the huge lump in her throat as she was all but dragged away from the dead orc.

Now they were running faster than they'd ever gone in their lives. Bilbo's thighs were burning like they were on fire as he hauled Ariel behind him by the hand over hills and rocks doing their best to keep up with the others who were all yelling out encouragements or updates on their attackers progress behind them.

Eventually they reached the foot of a hill where there was a small outcrop of rocks on top however there wasn't enough to completely hide them anymore.

 _"whoa!"_

Ariel tripped, her hand detaching from Bilbo's as he reached the crest.

He looked back noticing the lack of weight behind him and he cried out in panic as the girl rolled down and away from his reach this time cutting herself along her cheek as her head hit and scraped hard against the ground.

Whether it was because of the overwhelming pain or the hit to her head Ariel did not know, all that she did know was that her vision was swimming before her eyes as she tried to scramble to her feet.

She saw a shadow loom over her from behind and she turned her head to see a great big riderless warg snarling down at her with its hackles raised.

She screamed in terror as the beast geared itself up to lunge down on her only for a large sword to come swinging in from nowhere as Fili leapt down from the hill. With three quick strikes he hacked at the beasts neck and sent it flying off to the side before turning back to Ariel.

She barely heard the words that left the dwarf's mouth as he and another pair of smaller hands that belonged to Bilbo quickly pulled her up under each arm and quickly dragged her up the hill just in time to see Thorin draw his new elvish blade from its sheath.

"Quick get behind us" he shouted at the three of them as he stepped forwards

"We're surrounded" a dwarf yelled from the side as he began to back away from the crest along with the others.

"Hold your ground!"

But even as Bilbo watched on with terror he could not see any way out. Wargs and orcs were all about them in a great ring that was getting smaller and smaller with each passing second.

 _This is it…I'm done for…_

He gulped only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

"We're not through yet" Ariel gritted her teeth as she gingerly pointed her staff down to the ground which was covered in tall dry golden grass.

 _Well this may not be as fun as it was back then but it'll have to do_

"Everybody get close" She rasped loudly as the green gem glowed and the beneath their feet began to writhe like cobras in front of a snake charmer before suddenly shooting up tall and fast.

But even as she concentrated she wheezed in pain as her side began to throb almost unbearably.

 _Come on Ariel it's just like what you did to the tomato…only this time make it taller than everyone…come on nice and easy…_

She faintly heard Thorin cry out to Kili who was the dwarf furthest from the company and the most in danger of getting lost amongst the rapidly growing cover.

The young dwarf quickly backed away just as an orc aggravated by the lack of a visual fired of a dark arrow in frustration.

Then suddenly there was a cry.

"This way you fools!"

It was Gandalf who had suddenly appeared from beneath two of the rocks behind them before quickly ducking down behind them.

"Come on move!" Thorin bellowed and in a rush Ariel grabbed hold of Bilbo by the scruff of his jacket and threw him forwards towards the rocks.

"GO Bilbo!"

The hobbit quickly scrambled over the top of them before sliding down and following Gandalf's trail into a small hole in the ground that fell onto a narrow stone tunnel.

"Ariel!" he called back but Ariel was facing other issues…like the orc that had come up behind her brandishing a large knife.

She quickly dodged, having seen his shadow looming over her from behind only to fall through the tall grass.

Her heart throbbed as she was reminded of the golden wheat fields of her godmother's farm and how she and her brother and their friends used to run through it and play hide and seek.

Except this was far more dangerous than any childhood game.

She could hear many feet, orc and warg alike surrounding her, and could faintly see their shadows between the many blades of grass.

Horribly, she wondered if this was how ants felt before they got squashed dead.

And speaking of impending death…

There was a horrible snuffling sound and Ariel wheeled around just in time to see a pair of horrible yellow eyes peering at her through the mass of green, from a snarling wolfish mouth.

"Nice doggy…" she gulped holding her staff in front of her, though for all the good it did she felt she might as well be holding a toothpick as the riderless warg stalked towards her, hackles raised.

Its shoulders rolled…

It crouched low…

Its claws unsheathed…

A loud horn sounded…

 _Wait a horn?_

Ariel blinked as the Warg in front of her hesitated, its ears pricking as the mighty hunting horn drew a long powerful note that rent the air.

 _Run…while it's distracted run!_

Was the only thought that ran through Ariel's head. But as she quickly scrambled back, the rustling sound of her feet on the grass alerted the great canine who swiftly turned to snap and snarl at her.

She cried out, tripping over as it lunged for her ankles. It missed but was quick to pin her down, its snapping mouth instead chomping down hard onto her staff, as she held it up to shield her face.

She cried out in pain as one of the clawed paws suddenly slammed down on her injured ribs as it scrambled for purchase.

There was a resounding crack.

It took all she had not to vomit from the sheer pain as her side throbbed painfully, the force of her fall and the heavy weight of the great animal bearing down upon her, which continued to try to snap and snarl and chew through her staff which was now glowing very brightly.

Then suddenly a shadow appeared behind the warg, a tall one, with what appeared to be four legs and two heads.

The strange shape swiped at the monster, something silver and metal slicing straight through its thick neck. It didn't behead the creature but it did drive in half way, its blood splattering everywhere as it was tossed to the side by four kicking hooves.

Ariel gasped as the weight suddenly disappeared from on top of her, only to scream in terror as suddenly the four hooves thudded down…only to land a few feet next to her as the dark brown horse was settled by its rider.

"Whoa! Tálagor, steady, steady…" the voice of a man spoke as a hand patted the large equine's neck.

Ariel blinked, the bright afternoon light blinding her eyes as the man quickly jumped off his horse and strode towards her.

He was tall, lean, wearing dark but shining armour. His hair was dark and rugged, his face youthful, so youthful that Ariel was sure he was around her age.

She tried to sit up, gripping her staff tighter in her hand only to fall back as another wave of nauseating pain washed over her.

When she opened her eyes next, it was to see a pair of grey orbs staring back at her as a pair of large rough hands tilted her head side to side.

"My Lady. My lady can you hear me?" his voice was muffled to her ears.

"Wha…where am I? Gandalf?" she groaned. Her head was swimming, the ache in her side was not helping her as she tried to sit up.

"Please try not to move, you're gravely injured" the young man insisted as he quickly grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

There was the thudding of hooves all around and the two young humans looked up to see several people on horseback surrounding them on all sides.

All of them were wearing the same dark armour as the man, but Ariel could quickly see that they were not human. No humans could be as fair as they, nor did they have as pointed an ear or as tall or proud a frame.

"Estel!" a voice called, a man's fair, wise but also worried and commanding.

A jet-black horse trotted towards them as its rider quickly dismounted.

He was an elf like the others, but where they all were wearing helms, he wore a circlet of gold upon his helmless pale brow with dark hair and dark eyes that looked upon the young man beside her with grave concern as he spoke swiftly in the tongue of his people

"[What were you doing? Why did you not await the signal-who is this?]"

He looked down on Ariel completely bewildered.

"[I do not know my Lord Elrond-]"

 _Elrond…_ _ **the**_ _Lord Elrond the Half-Elven?!_

Ariel gaped as she watched the greeting unfold before her whilst in the back of her mind her mother's sweet mellow voice spoke softly and gently.

 _"He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer."_

She was so astonished that she barely heard the rest of the sentence.

"[-But she was asking for someone named Gandalf]" the boy, Estel, sighed turning to address Ariel in common speech.

"What is your name?"

"A-Ariel…ow" She winced clutching at her side. "A-and I'm sorry but did he say you were Elrond?"

She looked at the dark-haired elf whose eyebrows rose. His face was mostly calm, but she could see the wariness in his eyes as he said:

"You seem familiar with my name, though I am not with yours. How did you come here, and how do you know Gandalf the Grey"

"Gandalf…he's my…I'm his… _apprentice_ -ah! Sorry. We…we were travelling together with…ugh-crap!" she winced, biting down hard on her lip, trying to ignore the many murmurs and mutters of the other elvish hunters.

 _Oh god I'm actually speaking to Elrond himself! This is just insane._

"I see…" Lord Elrond frowned his eyes flickering down to the glowing staff by her side and then to her injured body. "May I?"

Ariel nodded as she let him inspect the wound, her free hand instead reaching out to grab Estel's free hand and grip it very tight as her side was gently prodded and examined.

"Broken" Elrond muttered softly as his fingers travelled up and down from the spot. "You will need urgent medical attention."

He turned to Estel, face grave.

"Well then Estel, seeing as you took it upon yourself to rescue her I will place her under your care until we get back home. [Badhrion help them]" he added and at once a tall elvish man with long light brown hair and bright blue eyes jumped down to help them.

Within a few painful minutes, Ariel was mounted upon Estel's sturdy steed, clutching onto the front of the saddle as the young man seated himself behind her, trapping her back against his front with his arms as he reached for the reins.

"Forgive me, milady" he whispered into her ear "but if I move back any further you'd fall off the horse"

"Quite frankly I don't really care at this point" Ariel gulped down hard as her side throbbed again. She sucked in a deep breath, gripping the saddle hard as the horse began to trot, behind the rest of the riders, slowly picking up to a brisk canter, just as the sky began to be stained a faint reddish-pink.

* * *

"This way you fools!"

Gandalf cried

"Come on move!" Thorin's bellow echoed all around them.

"Ariel come-whoa!" Bilbo cried out as the girl grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket and threw him forwards towards the rocks.

The hobbit quickly scrambled over the top of them before sliding down and following Gandalf's trail into a small hole in the ground that fell onto a narrow stone tunnel.

He quickly stood aside as Fili, Bifur and Bofur both nearly rolled down into them. Then came Oin, Gloin and Nori and Dori, followed by Ori, Balin and Dwalin who narrowly avoided getting squashed by a panicking Bombur who bounced a little on the stone floor as he landed.

"Kili! Ariel! Het here now!" Thorin bellowed as he stood atop of the stones waiting for his younger nephew to rush over towards him as he dodged arrows fired blindly from behind the tall grass.

As soon as he got close enough they both took a large leap down into the small chasm. They grinded to a halt on their feet quickly turning about with their weapons still drawn just in case they were followed down.

"Wait! The Lass is still up there!" Bofur cried out.

"WHAT?!" Thorin snapped, readying his sword as he prepared to leap back up the slope.

But even as he took a step upwards, a loud ringing horn blast sounded from high above them, loud and clear through their ears.

Bilbo's heart soared through his chest as he heard the clangs of weapons and the terrified screams of orcs as they ran hither and thither above their heads. One such figure itself toppled down the hole into their small hiding spot an arrow stuck straight through his forehead even as the dwarves made to round on it.

Thorin quickly leant down and tugged the arrowhead from the fowl creature and gave it a once over.

"Elves" he grunted angrily before tossing the weapon aside.

 _Elves…and if what I feel is right, she's still alive…Ariel Brooks you are a lucky one._

Gandalf sighed with relief a small smile gracing his mouth even as Dwalin made to cry out from a narrow stone pathway to their side.

"I cannot see where they pathway leads? Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur agreed readily as he quickly made to dash off after his friend, the others following suit quickly.

"I think that would be wise" Gandalf muttered with a small smirk towards a very angry Bilbo who spluttered:

"Keep going?! Our friend's trapped up there possibly hurt or worse and you want us to leave her behind and keep going?!"

"Yes Bilbo. I do." Gandalf nodded as he quickly hopped back up the slope to peer over the top of their hiding place. "Ah good, very good."

He turned back to Bilbo who was still glaring at him, along with a very worried Fili and Kili who were bringing up the rear, behind them Thorin held back, ears pricking as the wizard said calmly.

"The Elves have found her. She seems to be in one piece"

"Dead or alive?" Kili gulped, his young face now as pale as death warmed up as he glanced nervously to his equally worried brother.

"Of course she's alive" Gandalf narrowed his eyes grumpily at the Dwarf Princes "She may be young but she is not made of glass. Besides if she is injured the Elves will help her-"

"Because she is human?" Thorin sneered. "Should've known your apprentice would be an Elvish pet."

"Uncle" Fili scowled, only to be waved off as said uncle turned his back on all of them and stalked off.

"You should follow him. Ariel will be fine, I promise" Gandalf assured the hobbit and the youngest dwarves, steering the former forward with a gentle push of his hand.

Fili and Kili followed, the latter of them glaring daggers at their uncle's back.

"How could Uncle say something like that?" he muttered darkly. "Those wargs were about to kill her, she looked absolutely terrified-"

"I know brother. I know" Fili patted his brothers shoulder as they sidled single file through a thin crevice.

Meanwhile ahead of them Bilbo was looking up and about himself as if sensing something strange about them. Indeed, once they were a fair way in he looked back to Gandalf and asked.

"Uh…Gandalf…where are we?"

"You can feel it?"

"yes…it feels like…well like magic" Bilbo muttered.

"That's because it is" the wizard remarked with a twinkle in his eyes. "A very powerful magic"

"There's light ahead" Dwalin's voice echoed about them as the narrow passageway carried it to the back of the group who all made to hurry forwards with excitement.

When they all reached the end they found themselves on a shelf of rock with a small waterfall pouring over the side, spilling down fresh cold water with a light tinkling sound before dribbling down a set of shallow stairs.

Thorin's eyes widened and his whole body stiffened as he caught sight of what stood before him in the light of the late afternoon sun.

It was a valley, wide but recluse to all save by the path of one bridge that led to the valley's highest shelf of land was a great dwelling comprised of a series of buildings almost like a city, all designed in the same elegant sweeping arches and tall roofs, with vast pockets of green trees and vegetation blossoming all over. And yet throughout all of these designs were vast falls of water as the waterfalls behind the house fell and cascaded beneath the buildings, fuelling the large long river far below them over the edge of the cliff they now stood upon.

"The Valley of Imladris" Gandalf's voice was smug as he took in the dropping jaws of nearly all the companions in the company as they stared at the beautiful sight before them "In the common tongue it is known by another name"

"…Rivendell"

* * *

Ariel felt as if she'd stepped into a dream as she looked down the steep pathway down into the Valley of Rivendell.

 _Beautiful, warm, peaceful…safe…_

It was almost exactly like how it had been drawn in the illustrations of the book she had been read to as a child. Only now the light of the early evening and the dropping sun bathed the whole elvish haven in rich golden orange light.

She inhaled deeply smiling softly to herself when the wholesome air filled her nose and lungs invigorating her right down to her very feet as Estel directed his horse down along the long winding path that led down to the long bridge over the river Bruinen.

The waters below roared with life, swift and strong but strangely enough the sound of it was not threatening at all. In fact, it only added to the utopian calmness and picturesqueness of the whole image.

Once or twice Estel had to grab Ariel's waist to stop her leaning too far over the edge and falling off as she admired the view as awe and wonderment overpowered any twinges of pain in her head or side.

Finally, they cantered over the bridge passing by two tall statues of Elven sentinels flanking the entrance to a large circular courtyard, their fair forms garbed in sleek armour and long cloaks with slender spears in their hands and long swords in their belts.

"Stand your ground!" a loud gruff call went up and at once the spell was broken.

Clutching the saddle tight, Ariel held on as Estel drew the horse in behind his company, who seemed to be circling around a group of very short people.

 _Oh thank heavens they're okay!_

She sighed as she caught sight of the Dwarves faces and Bilbo's wide eyes. He was gazing up half torn between bewilderment and amazement as he looked up at the tall proud elves that circled them and their horses who nickered and whinnied a little as they were slowed down to a trot and then a walk.

"Gandalf" Elrond spoke as he rode his horse up close to the Wizard who'd been standing calmly alongside another dark haired elf by a set of stairs.

"Lord Elrond" Gandalf's smile widened as he stepped forwards to meet the elven lord as he dismounted from his steed.

 _Wow…Now I really am dreaming._

Ariel gaped as she watched the greeting unfold before her, not noticing Estel's arm around her uninjured side tighten ever so slightly.

"[my friend]" Gandalf spoke in his clear but gravely form of elvish as he looked upon Elrond's shining armour. "[Where have you been?]"

"[We have been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass]" then just as quick as thinking he switched abruptly to English "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or _someone_ has drawn them near…"

At this Gandalf gave a rather guilty look towards his friend. "Ah yes that may have been us"

Elrond nodded once his face turning slightly grave as he pulled out from a small satchel attached to his horses saddle something long and golden.

Ariel gasped softly as the elven lord lifted his hand in which was clenched one meter long strands of golden grass that gently flowed in the soft winds about them.

"And then there is this. Strange how the grass of the plains could grow so fast and so tall even in the height of summer"

He glanced pointedly at Gandalf who tried to shrug nonchalantly though his eyes were glinting with worry.

"Well… it must be something in the soil…or the rain…"

"Or perhaps there is _someone_ who imbued their magic into it?"

Elrond's keen eyes quickly fell upon Ariel who blushed a deep pink as Gandalf suddenly noticed her, his shoulders slumping as he sighed in relief

"Ariel?! My dear girl thank Eru you're alright."

"Ariel!"

"Lass!"

"Thank Mahal!" Some of the Dwarves all groaned as Ariel gave them a tiny wave of hello only to wince as her side ached again.

"hi guys-argh! Shit that smarts" she murmured under her breath, only for Estel to chuckle in her ear.

For a small looking maiden, she really had a mouth on her.

"So what Galdor said was true. You really do have a new apprentice?" Elrond quirked a brow at the Grey Wizard "When did she arrive?"

"About a month ago" Gandalf smiled glancing at. "The Elves of the havens found her on the beach by the sea and summoned me. Since she is new to this world I have been keeping her by my side as my apprentice"

"I see," Elrond once more turned his gaze upon the girl before him eyeing the bloody graze along the side of her cheek and frowned.

Ariel's flush deepened with embarrassment as his eyes quickly darted down to her right hand which was holding on tight to her left side as her other gripped her staff tightly in front of her like a lifeline.

"Though I think it is rather unfortunate that one so young should have to deal with such fowl creatures as Orcs so soon in life… and with such injuries. Lindir!"

He called back to the dark-haired elf by the steps, who stepped forwards at once.

"Help Estel take Lady Ariel to the healers at once"

"Yes milord" Lindir quickly nodded before striding up towards his new charges.

Quickly with his help, Estel was able to help Ariel clumsily dismount his horse, her legs giving way beneath her as she finally succumbed to her pain and fatigue.

Beside the hobbit, Fili and Kili both balked forwards to help, but Estel was swift to scoop her up in his arms and bear her away towards one of the buildings, following Lindir closely.

 _Goodness! She really must've been exhausted…_

Bilbo bit his lip as he caught sight of her long red-brown hair swishing as her head lolled backwards over the young man's arm, her eyes shut and face peaceful.

As soon as they were out of sight, Elrond turned back to Gandalf with a stern face.

"It seems as though you are fortunate to have found your way here in one piece" he then turned to Thorin who turned from glaring at the point his injured comrade had just disappeared to look up at Elrond with narrowed eyes.

Elrond however did not seem perturbed nor insulted and stepped towards the dwarf with a smile.

"Welcome, Thorin son of Thrain"

"I do not believe we have met" Thorin replied in polite tones laced with distrust and wariness.

"You have your grandfather's bearing." Elrond explained patiently "I knew Thror when he ruled Under the Mountain"

"Indeed? He made no mention of you"

At this Gandalf sighed heavily in exasperation.

But Elrond thankfully was a less petty and more tactful lord than most and he quickly spoke in his own tongue.

However, since none of the dwarves or Bilbo could understand it they were confused.

"What did he say?" Gloin growled angrily "Did he offer us insult?"

"No master Gloin" Gandalf called over the cries of outrage, rolling his eyes "He is offering you food."

At once all the yells stopped to be replaced by quick murmurs and small, slightly embarrassed nods.

"Well…" Gloin finally spoke, his gruff voice softer as he addressed their new host "In that case lead on"

* * *

"Another Istari appears and yet it is a time of peace" Elrond's voice was grave as he and Gandalf walked alone through a large courtyard surrounded by green flourishing trees.

"Peace?" Gandalf raised his bushy eyebrows "Trolls wandering far from the Ettenmoors and Orc packs raiding farther east than usual. Not to mention Radagast's warnings of a sickness in the greenwood."

"I will admit these are odd occurrences." Elrond nodded patiently "But they are still very much isolated incidents, and there is no solid proof that any of them are tied together"

"and that's exactly what I first thought" Gandalf frowned as he watched the sunlight sink lower and lower over the horizon. "but now that I have travelled with Ariel I feel as if maybe there might be something else lurking in the background. I may not be able to see it but I get the feeling that she can. Maybe that's why she was sent"

"That girl…" Elrond's face tensed "She has a powerful gift …"

"Indeed" Gandalf nodded quietly "though I fear that it sometimes might be a hard burden to bear."

At this Elrond's mouth twitched upwards in a small knowing smile.

"Every great power is a burden Gandalf. You of all people would know that. The real issue I think is, does she have the strength of will to not let that power consume her"

"I think she does" Gandalf said softly "because she has something worth fighting for."

"And what is that?"

"…Love"

There was a silence as both men, wizard and elf, strode down the length of the long bridge.

When the former spoke, his voice was quiet and measured.

"Your _Estel_ has grown quite into the young man"

"Yes. He has" Elrond clipped "though I am afraid he has grown rather reckless over the past few months"

"He is only eighteen years old" Gandalf chuckled softly "honestly I would be more surprised if he wasn't reckless at this point in his life"

"He could've gotten himself killed today," Elrond snapped "I promised his mother I would keep him safe till the time came for him to know the truth-"

"And so you have, by training him to be a worthy fighter you will have kept him safe for years to come. As well as a great deal many others." Gandalf assured his friend gently "After all, had it not been for his boldness my apprentice might not be here"

"I think you mean, had it not been for his desire to save the maiden and save the day, she might not be here." Elrond raised an eyebrow, as the Wizard frowned warningly at him.

"Now-now Lord Elrond, you know perfectly well the rules of my order-"

"I jest old friend I jest" Elrond smirked "Do not worry. I do not think anything of **_that_** nature will come from their meeting. No. My gift of foresight tells me the girl's destiny lies with another, though she will be a great ally to Estel when his time comes to claim his birthright… and his kingdom. Especially considering _what_ she is…"

"Indeed old friend. Indeed…"

* * *

When Ariel opened her eyes, it was to see a tall pale ceiling high above her head.

She blinked a couple of times.

 _Odd…this is not my bedroom…_

She turned her head to the side, vaguely noticing that she was lying on a very soft bed and under warm blankets. Opposite her she saw a large window beautifully shaped in a semicircle that looked over a wide view of buildings in the foreground before dropping off to a green valley illuminated by a rising moon in the night sky.

It took her a couple more blinks before suddenly she gasped images flashing over here eyes.

The party at Bilbo's hobbit hole, the traveling on the road, meeting and fighting the trolls, the escape from the orc pack and…and…

"Oh my god!"

She clapped a hand to her forehead as a wide grin spread over her face.

 _I'm in Rivendell! In bloody, freaking Rivendell!_

She laughed quietly to herself as she sat up in the bed and dashed over to the window.

From it she could now see the pavement two stories below her room window which was empty, but had the bright orange, yellow flickering light of a fire streaming onto it from the right.

 _Hmm…what is that?_

She leaned over the edge carefully to see where the light was coming from. But her angle was too high and too far for her to get a peek. She did however hear the familiar sounds of loud laughter and delighted conversations.

"Oy Bombur catch!" a voice called out.

There was a small pause and then suddenly a loud crash, as if something wooden had just been smashed down by something heavy. Roars of laughter echoed about the air, merry and bright and full of life.

Without even pausing to think she dashed away from the window and out of the room door, only double taking to quickly snatch up her staff which was leaning against the wall beside her bed. Her bare feet barely made a noise over the smooth stones beneath them as she descended a long set of stairs, her red brown hair flying out behind her as the cool night air tickled her skin gently.

After a good two minutes, she reached the ground floor and turned right, to see a large archway shaped like two trees with entwining branches.

She walked over quietly her face still set in a smile which widened quickly as she finally reached the threshold and stepped out onto a large wide roofed porch. It was brightly lit by a small fire set in a small stone pit in the middle of several low tables that stood next to richly thick fur pelts. Each were laden with warm and soft silk cushions on which nine dwarves and one hobbit were lounging about calmly whilst Gandalf and Thorin each took a large comfortable wooden chair each. All of them were laughing and chortling at Bombur who was sitting upon a heap of broken wood that had once been a table, a plate full of food in one hand and a small sausage in another, looking stunned at how he got there.

It was he who spotted Ariel in the doorway when she gave a loud snort and with a cry he sprang to his feet…before promptly falling back down on his round behind and bouncing a little.

"Surprise!"

Everyone turned quickly as Ariel stepped onto the balcony her grin wider than a Cheshire cat.

"Miss Ariel!

"You're awake!"

"thank goodness!"

"Woah!" Ariel blushed in embarrassment as she was suddenly swarmed by several short dwarves who were all scrambling to usher her inside.

"Miss Ariel you must be exhausted. Come sit here" Nori said as he tried to lead her towards the left side of the balcony only for Oin to tug on her other hand.

"No sit on this side, its warmer"

"Don't listen to them lass" Bofur shook his head and pointed to the wall opposite the archway "Everyone knows the wall just there is the best spot-"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen give the poor girl a break. She has barely been up for more than two minutes" Gandalf chuckled as he stood up and gently detached Ariel from the several hands. Gently he led her by the shoulder and over to a large pelt on the floor beside his chair where little Bilbo was sitting cross-legged on his own, wrapped up in a warm blue blanket.

She quickly sat down beside him and smiled widely as she pulled on a red blanket to cover herself.

"Hello Bilbo. You're looking well rested"

"I-I am…but…" Bilbo stuttered blushing slightly as he stared down at his toes. "but…I'm just glad to see you're feeling better. You really had us worried"

"Oh don't you worry Mr Baggins." Ariel's eyes twinkled as she playfully nudged his cheek with her knuckle "It will take more than trolls or Orcs to take this girl down"

"That's the spirit lass" Dwalin chuckled along with the others.

But then Ariel gave a small grimace as she rubbed her side.

"Though I wish I could say the same for my ribs"

"Still hurting you lass?" Bofur asked sympathetically.

"just a tiny twinge here and there. Not nearly as much as when we first came here" Ariel grunted as she made to position herself to lean comfortably on a couple of cushions. "Whatever those healers did it really helped a lot"

"Well my dear, Elvish medicine is some of the best to be found in Middle Earth" Gandalf smiled as he leant back in his chair "especially when it is practiced by the high elves of Imladris. It was fortunate that we were able to get you help in time before you were damaged beyond repair"

"Indeed…" Ariel nodded as she leaned in on her hand propped up by an elbow. "though my legs still feel like jelly after that run"

"Same here lass" Balin nodded with a sigh "also that chase has left my boots completely worn out on the soles"

"Aye mine too" Nori nodded "and my knees"

"Wish I could say the same went for everyone else" Gloin muttered as at that precise moment two figures made to come up the balcony steps.

It was Fili and Kili and they were looking flushed as they jogged up towards the company dressed only in their pants and their cotton tunics of red and blue which were drenched in sweat.

"Told you I'd win that round" Kili puffed.

"You scoundrel you didn't win" Fili glowered at his brother "You started before I could even say go"

"Oh-ho!" Kili laughed "And who was it that tried to push me out of the way before that turn"

"Only because you pushed me first"

"When?"

"At the start"

"No I didn't!"

"Oh yes you did you big fat cheater"

"Cheater? I didn't cheat"

"Did too and you know it!"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did-"

"Fili! Kili enough. You both are in the same spot now so give it a rest" Thorin called out before the argument could escalate further. However when Ariel looked back she saw that even though his eyebrows were raised, his eyes were twinkling with fondness.

"You still cheated" Kili muttered under his breath but Thorin cleared his throat loudly and he and his brother both skulked off to join Bilbo.

When they caught sight of Ariel their faces split into wide smiles of surprise and delight.

"Ariel! You're awake?"

"When did you get up?" they laughed as they quickly made to sit beside her and Bilbo.

"Only five minutes ago" Ariel shrugged before asking "You two look like you've been having fun."

"They've been racing non-stop" Bilbo smirked from the sides. "all evening, up and down, up and down"

"Wow and after all that running we did earlier today too? What food have you been eating here?" Ariel sighed.

All of the talking and smiles around her faltered at once.

"What?" Ariel blinked.

"Ariel…" Gandalf spoke slowly and cautiously "How long do you think you've been asleep."

"Err…only a few hours. What is it now one o clock?" she shrugged.

Thorin sighed and leant forwards in his chair.

"Actually, it's only ten in the evening…and it's been two days since we came to Rivendell"

"Two days!" Ariel's eyes bulged wide.

"Yeah" Bofur nodded "You were out like a light after all that mayhem"

"And it took the elves almost an entire day to fix up your ribs and that head injury" Oin added. "In addition to your broken ribs, you had a severe concussion on the back of your head."

"Only it was hidden because of your hair" Gandalf pointed out with his staff "it was only found when the elf maids tried to wash out your hair and found blood in the water"

"Really?" Ariel's eyes widened as she ran her hand over the back of her head where sure enough a tiny lump was raised just behind her ear. "Wow… I didn't even notice"

"You were in pain already and in shock" Dwalin coughed gruffly. "Not to mention busy trying to outrun an orc pack."

"we didn't know whether you were alright till this early afternoon when that human boy came to tell us." Fili mumbled sounding slightly put out "and even then Gandalf and Lord Elrond wouldn't allow us to see you, until you yourself would awake"

"Well I'm awake now" Ariel nodded leaning back once more to rest on a cushion. "and you can all see that I'm fine. Bit battered like a fish but fine."

 _Though for how long will I remain fine is the even bigger question. After all…there is a dragon on the other end of our road…_

They spent many hours talking late into the night. Drinking, sharing stories, mainly about the travels the older dwarfs had been on, many of them bickering over the smaller details like who won that drinking game or who won a bet.

Ariel often found herself laughing till her stomach was sore, that was until Dwalin began to recount a story about winning the nightly affections of a female barmaid.

"And so I said to her 'lass why don't you and I'-"

"Ahem Dwalin I don't think that subject matter would be very fitting to speak of in front of our **younger** friends" Gandalf steamrolled over the dwarf loudly giving a pointed look to Ariel who rolled her eyes.

"Gandalf I may be young but I'm not _naive_."

"Oh really?" Thorin snorted from his seat "Then how old are you?"

"Seventeen, going on eighteen" Ariel shrugged and Bilbo spluttered on his drink beside her, as did many other dwarves.

"Seventeen!" Fili finally choked looking with bewilderment at the girl beside him with wide eyes.

"Uh yeah" Ariel frowned confused by the shocked reactions. "Why how old are you?"

At this Kili's grin widened proudly, like a child

"I'm seventy-seven and Fili is eighty-two"

Ariel bit her lip as she made to calculate using her fingers

"hmm…right…seventy-seven and eighty-two by dwarf standards would equate to um…if the humans average life span is seventy…divide by …and then multiply…so…so if you two were humans you would be roughly in your mid to early twenties?"

There was a small silence as the dwarves stared at her.

Ariel pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Wait don't tell me. Not many women in this land are learned in basic mathematics, are they?"

"Not unless they born into a higher caste " Balin exchanged a glance with Dwalin who just shrugged and shook his head.

Bilbo however tilted his head curiously as he took a sip of his mead beside him.

"Do many of the women of your home receive an education?"

"Yeah most do." Ariel gulped suddenly feeling awkward "I mean I attended school since I was six and have been doing so for the past twelve to thirteen years or so-"

"Twelve to thirteen years?!" Dori's eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as were Bifur's who made to speak in rapid Khazdul.

"He's asking how girls in your world can afford to study whilst helping to keeping the home, and preparing to be courted and such" Bofur translated quickly though he gulped in trepidation of Ariel's answer.

But like before she only shrugged nonchalantly.

"We manage. I mean I can't speak for all the other girls my age but back home I coped with help my mom with her flower shop after school, and then help her cook dinner and clean my room-"

"And courting?" Kili asked slyly.

"Pff! Me courting? Do I honestly look like the kind of girl that would get _courted_ by any guy?" Ariel rolled her eyes again and shook her head.

"Uh…Yes?" Nori glanced sidelong at his brothers and companions who all now eyed the girl before them who now looked rather baffled.

"Huh Really?"

"…Yes…"

Ariel now felt rather disconcerted as odd looks were thrown around the balcony amongst all the male population.

Eventually it was Bilbo who had the nerves to ask the next question that was obviously on everyone's mind.

"So…you've never been _courted_ by _anyone_?"

"No…" Ariel gulped suddenly finding the ends of her blanket about her very interesting "I haven't…and besides…It's not like I'm attractive anyway"

Again there was another awkward silence.

"What I'm not just look at me!" Ariel snapped as she felt her temple throb with irritation. "I'm short for my age. I got a weird skin and hair colour, and I'm still waiting for certain normal body parts to arrive! Let me tell you puberty ain't fun when you're as flat as an ironing board and the other girls have jugs the size of…jugs!"

Suddenly everyone burst out laughing. Even Thorin and Gandalf were chuckling with amusement. But Dwalin was laughing hardest of all.

" HA! 'Jugs the size of jugs' HA-HA-HA-HA!"

"That cannot be true" Kili chortled and before Ariel could even respond he tugged her blanket away from her.

Ariel squeaked leaning back almost on top of Bilbo her hands flying up to her low neckline as the young dwarf looked down the front of her nightgown with a sly little ' _innocent'_ pout.

"Hmm…not bad. A little small but nice shape, but I can't really tell much. I bet that human lad could tell us a bit more, considering how close he was to you-"

"KILI!" Fili shouted his blue eyes flashing however before he could even move Thorin stepped up behind him and grabbed deftly at Kili's ear and dragged him up to stand.

"OW! Uncle I was just teasing-I wasn't-OWW! Fee save me!"

"No Kee, you made your bed now you lie in it" Fili smirked smugly folding his arms as his brother yelled loudly.

"TRAITOR!"

Everyone guffawed as Thorin shook his head with exasperation and made to drag young yelping dwarf back into the privacy of the building.

"Hey where are you going?" Oin cried out having only half heard what was going on through his ear trumpet.

"To clean my nephew's mouth out with soap." Thorin snapped, turning to his nephew and hissing "Never in all my years-Since when did I or your mother ever teach you to talk to a lady like that?!"

Ariel gulped as she caught sight of the stormy expression on his face though she was quickly distracted by Bofur crying out:

"Oy Bilbo lad why don't you sing us that song you sang at the baths"

"What you want a bath song here?" Bilbo looked about nervously but even so he grinned.

"Yes you woolly footed bundle of song"

"Woolly footed?" Bilbo hiccupped with mock outrage "I'll show you woolly footed"

Ariel giggled with amusement as she faintly caught a whiff of the smell of alcohol from the hobbit's mouth as he sprang to his feet and darted up to where Bofur had erected a makeshift stage made from several of the low tables about them.

 _Drunk Bilbo Baggins now this should be very interesting!_

But even as Bilbo stepped up his mouth opened wide and he began to sing in a surprisingly loud clear voice.

 _Sing hey! for the bath at close of day_

 _that washes the weary mud away!_

 _A loon is he that will not sing:_

 _O! Water Hot is a noble thing!_

 _O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,_

 _and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;_

 _but better than rain or rippling streams_

 _is Water Hot that smokes and steams._

 _O! Water cold we may pour at need_

 _down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;_

 _but better is Beer if drink we lack,_

 _and Water Hot poured down the back._

 _O! Water is fair that leaps on high_

 _in a fountain white beneath the sky;_

 _but never did fountain sound so sweet_

 _as splashing Hot Water with my feet!_

He was a surprisingly good singer and all his songs were happy and merry, like the one he sung now, his feet skipping along in a well-practiced, well known jig that was until the last word when he finished with a big stomp so hard that he tripped backwards into the dwarves behind him.

Ariel laughed loudly just as something warm wrapped about her shoulders. She turned to see Fili pulling away from her to settle her blanket about her shoulders.

"Thanks" she smiled gratefully.

"I'm sorry about my brother" he murmured as he caught her eye "he didn't mean to be so offensive he's just gets a bit careless when he's had a couple of drinks"

"He wasn't… _offensive_ " Ariel bit her lip nervously "I was just…surprised that's all. I just hope Thorin doesn't grill him too badly"

"He'll be fine" Fili shook his head with an amused sigh. "Trust me, I've seen our uncle get mad and this is barely scraping slight irritation for him"

" _Slight irritation_ are you serious?" Ariel quirked a brow and Fili chuckled his blue eyes twinkling.

"What can I say, he's a grumpy old dwarf"

"ha! Don't let him hear you say that or you'll be the next one being dragged out by your ear" Ariel giggled.

"Not yet I won't. Unlike my brother I know how to keep my mischief a secret" Fili smirked with a wink and Ariel giggled harder throwing her head back only to suddenly feel the world spin about her horribly as her head twinged.

"Whoa! Spinning! My world's spinning" she grunted as Fili grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"This is why you should rest when you have concussion." the blonde dwarf tutted with a small frown as he slowly made to lean her back gently onto the pelt so that she reclined comfortably.

"Here just lie down for a while"

As he carefully took her head and deposited it to rest on a couple of the cushions.

"So, you and the human boy?" he smirked and Ariel scowled.

"Oh, for crying out loud I barely know the guy!"

"Really? You two were sitting quite close on that horse-" Dwalin grunted from his seat.

"Only because I nearly fell off it a couple of times" Ariel groaned, cursing her now blushing cheeks as Nori sniggered.

"Oh aye. Are you sure that was the only reason lass?"

"Yes, from what we saw of him he's quite a strapping young lad." Bofur raised his tankard of drink to his lips "what with that rugged handsome face, and those grey eyes."

"Well if _you_ like the look of him so much why don't _you_ go and _court_ him?" Ariel snapped, cheeks flushing beetroot red as the other dwarves chuckled.

"Uh…because we don't swing that way lass-" Balin smirked into his tankard

"In what way? Towards humans or towards men?" Ariel snorted and was rewarded with a hearty guffaw.

"HA! Good one lass." Fili chuckled, and despite herself Ariel felt herself smile that was until Gloin gave her a cheeky wink.

"Don't worry lass, I'm sure he doesn't like us dwarves. Though he certainly had his eyes on you quite a fair bit-"

"Stupid old dwarves" Ariel groaned as she all but melted back into the pillows, cheeks aflame.

Gandalf chuckled softly from his seat, though if one were to look closer they'd see the slight anxious glint in his eyes as he beheld his apprentice.

Ariel Brooks may have been just a girl, but deep down he could sense so much potential for greatness. Yes…she would be a great woman in the future and a formidable sorceress…

Just as Estel would be a powerful king…

 _Nuldien just what are you planning?_

* * *

 **And there we have it. Chapter 5 is up.**

 **And finally i can get to some of the changes i wanted to in the plot. 10 points to anyone who can guess who Estel really is ;) (though it shouldn't really be that hard to figure out). Hope you guys had fun reading, the next chapters might take a little longer now seeing as i've got a fair few changes to make.**

 **Anyways if you enjoyed then please review for more.**

 **Adios everyone,**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	6. The Last Homely House

**Chapter 6: The Last Homely House**

 _Darkness-_

"Ariel get up it's time for breakfast"

 _She was floating in darkness-_

"Come on Airy. It'll be fun. An adventure. We'll have a blast"

 _It was not a comfortable darkness of sleep-_

"That's right boy, behold my power for it will be the last thing you ever see!"

 _It was the cold empty void of oblivion-_

"Tell me Ariel…what do you know of Hobbits?"

 _And she was falling into it… No…she was drowning in it-_

"Warg scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind"

 _She could barely breath, could barely feel…but she could hear-_

"A servant of a very dark power"

 _A deep hissing voice whispering all around her-_

"Ash nazg durbtaluk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk, agh burzum-ish krimpatul!"

 _As a great red eye suddenly burst before her vision-_

"Ariel the Green your power shall be mine!"

 _-and engulfed her all in flames…_

"NOO!"

* * *

Ariel's eyes snapped open as she gasped.

 _Oh my god what the hell was that?!_

She gulped down breaths as she sat up, her vision clearing so that she could finally see the dim grey light stream onto her bed. She was completely alone, the light outside her window grey with a hint of pink and gold as the sun started to peek over the horizon.

 _Just a dream…_

She sighed as she ran her hand over her brow, instantly soaking her white nightgown's sleeve with sweat.

 _I'm still safe here in Rivendell…_

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and grunted as her arms and legs creaked from being stiff for so long.

She shivered as she picked up her staff that was leaning on the wall beside her bed, a cold chill spreading over her. She wasn't quite sure where it had come from, for it was the height of summer and the nights weren't that cold. All she knew was that she could feel the eyes of something on her from the shadow in the corners of her room.

Or was it her mind?

She shook out her head as she reached over to take a dress that had been laid out for her on a nearby chair. It was a dress like the elf maidens wore, though while theirs were usually in soft light shades or deep shades of the twilight or night, hers was a deep rich green.

She felt remarkably out of place wearing the garment, it seemed far too luxurious for her taste. And yet it would be extremely rude not to accept it or to complain.

 _Maybe I should go down for breakfast-no wait! It's the crack of dawn. Nobody would be up by now…_

She mused as she began braiding back the russet locks at the front. As she did she looked into a nearby mirror and scowled.

Her eyes were looking exceptionally green today, with only a hint of brown on the outside. She could only suppose it must have been because of her new outdoor lifestyle. Her eyes always did look greener whenever she used to go camping with her father in the woods close to her house, only to turn browner the closer she got to home. She couldn't really explain it, and usually she didn't really care, for no one really did notice the difference unless they were to look at her face closely.

Now however the difference was startling.

 _I'm being ridiculous_

She looked outside her window to see the sky outside brighten as the first rays of the dawn crept over the horizon before her.

A friendly cool breeze whipped at her cheek, making her hair flow softly behind her as she stood up.

 _Hmm…that feels nice._

She smiled as she walked over to stand at the window. The sunrise was warm and inviting, quickly banishing the cold bite of the early hours of the morning and giving way to what was surely going to be a wonderful summer day.

What she didn't notice were a pair of eyes watching her closely from the ground below.

* * *

By the time Ariel had gotten dressed and had walked down the stairs the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf were well tucking into breakfast that had been served in a dining room on the ground floor.

Their conversation hushed as she slid through the doorway, their eyes bulging a little as they beheld her new flowing dress.

"Good Morning…" she mumbled, cheeks flushing deeply, doing everything she could to avoid Thorin, who seemed to be staring at her far more intensely than usual as he grunted:

" _Lady_ Ariel. How kind of you to finally grace us with your presence. Ugh! Balin-" he growled as Balin retracted his elbow from his side and smiled pointedly at the lass.

"Good Morning my dear. How are you feeling? Still woozy from last night?"

"Nope, all the cobwebs are cleared." Ariel forced a smile on her face. Never had she felt more tempted to just point her staff at the Dwarf King's face and stuff his face full of green magical vines.

"Very, good. Very good. Ah Good morning Lindir-" Gandalf up from a spot at the head of the table as his apprentice walked in followed by Lindir who had just come in from the front door.

"Master Gandalf, My Lady" the elf bowed courteously as he came level with Ariel who curtsied back, watching with intrigue as he made to address Gandalf once more "Forgive my abruptness, master but may I have a word in private?"

"Of course. Ariel why don't you take a seat-oh it seems Kili has already given you his" eyebrows rose half in astonishment half in amusement as Ariel was quickly sat down in the chair of said dwarf, blushing and stuttering in confusion.

"No really Kili it's fine-I just-"

But already Kili had sat himself down at the end of the table closest to the door smirking under his breath softly that made Balin next to him quirk an eyebrow at him curiously.

 _Uh…what just happened?_

Ariel blinked like a deer in the headlights at the exchange only for Thorin to roll his eyes and grumble gruffly from directly opposite her.

"Just eat quickly. You're still recovering. You'll need your strength"

Ariel however didn't have time to give him the usual glare ore snide remark as her stomach gave a loud roar at the sight of the food between her and Thorin.

She felt her face flush even darker as the dwarves chuckled fondly. Even Bilbo who sat at her side was smiling as he passed her a bowl of salad.

"you know you really should get what you can quick. Bombur's already finished off one platter of boiled eggs"

"Why am I not surprised?" Ariel sighed heavily as she turned to look at the phenomenally fat dwarf who was sitting opposite to where a still very much quiet Fili was and scarfing down everything in reach.

"You know he broke a table last night" Bilbo shrugged beside her.

"Yes…I heard him…but I honestly don't know whether I should be terrified of that or not"

"Terrified. Definitely be terrified"

She quickly turned back to him and when their eyes met they both could not contain the tiny snorts or smiles as they restrained themselves from laughing out loud.

"What's up with you two?" Ori asked from down the table as he caught sight of the girl and the hobbit both begin to shake hard as small sniggers escaped them.

"Nothing- nothing" Ariel hiccupped as Bilbo did his best to cough down his chortles in gentlemanly fashion.

"No we're just um, just trying to um…it's just that it's the first time I'm actually as tall as a human…person…" he exchanged a small smirk at Ariel who cottoned onto his small fib and began to measure out the top of his head in comparison to hers.

Indeed, at this table they were actually both level since Bilbo was sitting on a chair propped up on several cushions so that he could reach the countertop.

"Aye and it'll probably be the only time you ever are lad" Dwalin smirked as he took a sip from his goblet of juice, much to the amusement of everyone save Gandalf who chose at this moment to return to the room alone.

Ariel looked up and saw that his face was calm though slightly tense about the jaw, especially when he caught her gaze.

 _Huh…what the hell was that about?_

She quickly coughed and gave her best smile.

"So, Gandalf what happened?"

"Oh nothing really as of yet" Gandalf smiled back quickly as he made his way back to his old seat. "Lord Elrond was just inviting us to join him for dinner tonight to celebrate the Eve of Midsummer and I have agreed on the company's behalf."

"You agreed?" Thorin growled only for Ariel's face to turn incensed much to the exasperated sighs of the company.

"Well we are his guests and he has helped us already a fair bit. It would be rude to refuse."

"I wasn't asking for your opinion _girl_ " the Dwarf Prince snapped his dark eyes glowering at her.

"Oh, please like you ever think anyone else's opinion matters besides your own" Ariel rolled her eyes and leaned back folding her arms.

"Oh, but I do value other opinions." Thorin's eyes narrowed "It's **your** opinions I'm not interested in. You are a child with hardly any experience in the world to speak of and thus have no reason to be giving your two cents worth when it comes to the leadership of this company. You do not belong here, you never have."

"You think I don't know that" Ariel snarled. "You think I don't know I stick out like a sore thumb everywhere I go? Believe me I want nothing more than to go back home"

"Then go" Thorin sneered again "Go back home I'm not stopping you"

"I can't" Ariel growled shutting her eyes and willing herself not to crack.

"And why not? You are barely of use here. I do not see why you must continue to burden Gandalf with your training and secrets. Go run back home to your mother's lap"

"Thorin!" Gandalf barked angrily but it was too late. Ariel had stood to her feet and was looking quietly down at the dwarf in question her face tense.

"Sometimes I wonder who the more despicable creature is-" she murmured through gritted teeth light brown eyes overbright and wet "-you or that dragon."

And before anyone could say another word she threw her glass of juice in Thorin's face.

There were great cries of surprise, and even one loud "HA!" of laughter from Kili which was quickly stifled by his brother literally slapping a hand over his mouth as Ariel stormed back out towards the door.

"How-HOW DARE YOU-Blasted girl get back here!" Thorin spluttered angrily only to stare in shock as she held up a very rude finger to him and yelled:

"Bite me asshole!"

There was a very stunned silence as the door slammed shut behind her back.

"Wow…For an _innocent maiden_ she sure knows her swears" Nori muttered under his breath only to be silenced as a loud sob echoed in the passageway outside only to quickly fade with a pair of frantic footsteps.

"Aye…now she's really upset this time" Bofur sighed as Kili looked up at the others, his humour quickly turning to worry.

"You think we should go after her?"

"Not now" Balin put a hand up to stop them from getting up. "She needs a bit of space to vent. If she doesn't come around in an hour or so then we'll seek her out"

But while the dwarf's faces were on the door, Bilbo's was set on Thorin's face. The girl had barely gotten up from resting and already the Dwarf was giving her trouble. The hobbit had been about to open his mouth to give the dwarf prince a piece of his mind Took style when he caught sight of the grim and stricken expression.

Indeed even as he made to sit down, Bilbo thought he saw a hint of regret and guilt glimmer in those deep blue eyes though it was quick to be masked over as he caught his eye.

Thorin mumbled something darkly under his breath before pushing away his half full plate and quietly leaving the room.

He had barely travelled a few meters away from the door when someone called out from behind him.

"Uncle wait"

Thorin turned around and saw Fili standing behind him his face tense. The young dwarf's blue eyes so much like his uncles were flashing rather fiercely as he made to speak once more.

"You shouldn't have said that to her!"

"I only said the truth." Thorin snapped with a glower. "And often the truth hurts."

"No! What you said was not the truth" Fili glared hard at Thorin "It was a harsh and heartless lie and you know it"

"Are you accusing me of being a liar?" Thorin growled but Fili did not back down.

"No. But it doesn't stop what you said from being untrue. She does belong her just as much as any of us and her opinion does matter. She's Gandalf's apprentice for crying out loud-"

"Did you not hear what Gandalf told Lord Elrond." Thorin hissed "She came from across the sea from lands we don't even know of. And her powers…that witchcraft she does with those plants and pulling the wool over all your eyes-You can say what you like Fili but nothing will change the fact that she's a witch who doesn't belong here."

"You're wrong" Fili cried out angrily "Ariel is not a _witch_. She's a good person who just so happens to be able to do magic. She's brave, warm and bright. We all accept her and want her to be here, the whole company, Kili too. The only one who has a problem here is you, and that's because you refuse to let go of your pride-"

"Don't you dare take that tone with me boy" Thorin's hands clenched by his sides as he made to pull himself up to his fullest height "you may be of age but I will not hesitate to discipline you or your brother as I see fit if you keep up this behaviour"

"Then go ahead" Fili snapped also drawing himself up so that he made to stand toe to toe with his uncle. "Discipline me however you want. Discipline Kili, he'll not waver either. Nothing will change the fact that Ariel was right. You are being as cruel as the dragon."

"Where are you going?" Thorin hissed angrily but Fili was already stepping away from him still glaring.

"To finish breakfast. And then find Ariel, that's if you haven't finally turned her away for good"

"Fili" Thorin called but already the younger dwarf was striding down the corridor and out of sight.

When he was sure he was alone the dwarf prince sighed heavily through grit teeth.

Now his company and his nephews are turning on him? Oh, how Thorin Oakenshield rued the day he first laid eyes on that pretty girl's face!

* * *

It was midday, the sun had risen high now over Rivendell, and Ariel's tears had mostly dried up. Though she still felt rather hollow inside.

 _Of all the things, you have said Oakenshield, this has by far has been the worst._

She sighed heavily as she entered a building to her right. She'd been trying to avoid walking into anyone, especially the dwarves.

She was fond of them and they of her but she did not think that letting them comfort her would be a good idea, especially since it would only widen the rift between Thorin and herself. He was paranoid enough as it stood and if he thought she was trying to win the trust of his people over him, then she wouldn't put it past him to do away with her somehow.

She was even hiding from Gandalf, though how she managed that she had no idea.

 _He's probably giving me space to clear my head._

She reasoned dully. Yes, that seemed a very Gandalf thing to do. The man, though he looked old, was a remarkably good at tracking people down when he wanted to. The fact that she hadn't been found only meant he was _letting_ her stay hidden, or else he'd be dragging her back to her room to rest.

 _Oh well…at least I'm getting a chance to sightsee on my own in peace and quiet._

Ariel mused as she looked around the room she'd just entered. She seemed to have entered a museum of some kind. There were murals all over the walls, statues on pedestals and some artefacts mounted on plinths draped with fine cloths.

Many of them were swords and horns and other such devices of war but even as she looked she saw a small harp upon a cushion and a miniature in gold of a tall-ship sailing aboard the high seas.

After gazing at the small recreation for a few minutes Ariel found her way towards the foot of a tall set of stairs.

She paused as her staff accidently struck the cool stone slabs beneath her feet with a loud clack, the sound echoing ominously about her.

 _No one seems to be here…_

She gulped with a small bite of her lip as she looked behind her quickly before looking up the steps which seemed to go up onto a second floor of some kind.

Raising her staff off the ground in one hand and picking up the hem of her green dress she quietly ascended the stairs

She didn't understand why but her feet no longer seemed to be under her own command as they moved, almost spellbound by the path where she walked.

Eventually she reached the top step and looked about her.

She was standing at the entrance to a terrace which had a statue on one side and a painting on the other before leading onto another corridor that delved further into the building.

 _Hmm…I wonder what this is?_

She tilted her head as she turned to admire the statue, which was carved all in white, in the shape of a tall beautiful woman in flowing robes holding a large elliptical dish in her hands.

Ariel wondered if there was water, or glass that had been made to look like water within it for she could see the light as something reflected in the lowest dip of the dish.

But even as she made to come up close to look down into the basin she gasped softly.

There glimmering in the light of the morning sunbeams that fell over the statues shoulders, were the broken shards…the broken shards of a silver sword.

"Wow" she breathed as she ran a timid finger over the hilt.

 _So…this is the blade…the blade that cut the ring from-_

But then she blinked as she caught sight of something dark reflected in the metallic surface of one of the sharp blade shards.

Ariel quickly turned around only to find herself now facing the painting. Though that did little to improve her mood.

In the left of the image a man in gleaming armour was sitting up on the bloodstained, corpse filled ground in fear, holding up the hilt of a broken sword, the blade of which glowed white hot so that it seemed to illuminate the attacking force. Ariel shuddered as her eyes wandered to the right only to see a shadowy figure, garbed in dark sharp armour towering over the man beneath with such malevolence that his presence almost seemed to fill the entire space of the painting.

However, her eyes were drawn not to the black helmet over his face, but rather to the dark hand that held his dark weapon to strike. Upon the index finger, painted in thin but sharp and bold strokes was a band of bright blazing gold.

She flinched as an image of a fiery red eye flashed over her own vision for a moment.

 _Just a dream. Nothing but a dream._

"My Lady?"

Ariel squeaked and spun around.

There behind her in dark blue tunic and pants was a young man with shoulder length dark hair and light grey eyes.

 _Light grey eyes…_

"Oh…hi…again" she gulped, masking her fear with a small nervous smile "Estel wasn't it?"

"Yes my lady. I'm surprised you remember my name. You were quite disoriented last we met." the young man, Estel, smiled cheeks slightly pink

"Yeah…uh…well, nearly being crushed by a giant wolf would do that to you"

 _Smooth Ariel. Real smooth._

Ariel mentally punched herself as her fellow youth chuckled uncertainly along with her.

"I'm relieved to see you're doing much better. I take it Lord Elrond's healers have done their jobs well?"

"Yes very, though…" and at this Ariel felt her cheeks positively burn like fire "though if it weren't for you saving my life I'd probably be dead so…uh…thank you. I really owe you one"

"The…the pleasure was all mine." Estel coughed "So my lady-"

"Ariel" Ariel cut across him quickly "My name is Ariel. I know you're trying to be polite but you don't have to call me my lady. Trust me I'm far from one" She added giggling nervously.

"Somehow I doubt that" Estel smirked and was pleased when she flushed even more pink "So, Lady Ariel, what brings you here on such a fine day. I'd have thought you'd still be resting."

"I was" Ariel snorted remembering the morning's drama "but then I thought I'd take a walk and clear my head. My morning's been pretty hectic-"

"I can imagine" Estel blurted out only to curse himself softly "forgive me, that was out of line-"

"You heard my argument with Thorin huh?" Ariel sighed heavily.

"Nay lady. I ran into your master Gandalf about an hour ago" Estel admitted sheepishly. "He asked me to keep an eye out for you if I should pass you by. He was quite worried for you-"

"Well congratulations you found me!" Ariel murmured with a small grimace.

"I take it you weren't planning on being found?" Estel's eyebrows rose as the girl before him rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Gee, what gave me away?"

"Oh, I don't know, your overwhelming enthusiasm I suppose?"

Both youths narrowed their eyes at each other, only to start chuckling as soon as they met each other's gazes.

"I'm sorry" Ariel tucked her hair behind her ear shyly. "I guess I'm still a bit peeved"

"It's understandable." Estel assured her gently "After what I've seen of your company, Thorin Oakenshield seems to be a rather difficult person to approach"

"Understatement of the century" Ariel muttered under her breath, only to quickly cough as she turned towards the broken sword in the stone statue.

"This sword…"

"Tis the shards of Narsil," Estel puffed up proudly as he reached out to grab the great hilt. "The blade that cut the hand of Sauron-"

"And the One Ring" Ariel breathed, a shiver flying up and down her spine as the blade gleamed in the afternoon light.

"Yes…" Estel murmured carefully quickly placing the hilt back in its proper place before turning her to face the large painting again.

"I take it you know of the War of the Last Alliance?"

"Only the basics" Ariel sighed softly pointing to a figure of a man laying on the ground with a shattered sword raised up high in defence against a dark shadowy figure. "That's him. Isildur, right?"

"Yes. Isildur son of Elendil the tall, brother of Anarion. King of Gondor. It was his mighty arm that hewed down the enemy. I heard the tale many a time from Lord Elrond as a boy."

"You grew up here in Rivendell?" Ariel quirked a curious brow and Estel nodded

"Yes. I was very fortunate. My mother and father died when I was but a small child. Lord Elrond took me in, raised me, fed me, clothed me, trained me as if I were one of his own sons, of which he has two. The twins Elladan and Elrohir. My brothers in all but blood. And his daughter Arwen. I have never met her myself for she has been living with her Grandmother in Lothlorien for the past few decades. But I have heard from her brothers she is very beautiful and very much missed here at home-"

 _I bet she is!_

Ariel smirked slightly, though she couldn't help but feel a little dismayed. She'd always wanted to meet Arwen, the daughter of Elrond, queen to Aragorn the would-be-King of Gondor. And Galadriel…

For some reason Ariel felt both excited and terrified at the prospect of ever meeting the Lady of the Golden Wood. In the books, she was always described as mysterious, wise and powerful, and that uncanny ability to see into the hearts and minds of those she beheld…it was almost enough to give Ariel goose bumps there and then.

She was glad when Estel held out his arm for her to take and suggested he show her the gardens outside.

They were beautiful and in full bloom, much to her delight. The fragrances of the flowers and various trees filled the air with a sweet wholesome scent, that made both young humans smile as they walked and talked arm in arm down a beautifully crafted stone path…unaware that several pairs of eyes were watching them very closely.

* * *

"I see my ward has found your apprentice." Elrond smirked enjoying the way the old Wizard bristled uncomfortably.

"Yes, he has accomplished his task very well I must say" Gandalf snorted gruffly, eyes narrowing upon the young man as the pair of young adults passed right under their tall balcony.

"They only walk and talk. I daresay lady Ariel has missed the company of other humans her age while travelling." Elrond murmured, frowning softly as he watched said apprentice suddenly detach herself from Estel to walk backwards in front of him with a wide smile.

With her bright eyes, her light steps making her green dress swish and her warm smile, the Elven lord was not surprised to see that his ward was having a hard time keeping up his gentlemanly façade.

He only supposed he should've expected it after all Estel was the only young human in Rivendell.

All the women he'd come into contact here had been fully grown elleth who had known him since his infancy and helped in his rearing. Nearly all of them were a few centuries old. The only time he'd seen other young humans his own age was when he was passing through small villages or towns like Bree on the rare occasions their hunting parties came close to the town, and even then, he never really got the chance to meet with them.

"I daresay _Estel_ also feels the need for companionship" Gandalf conceded with a small roll of his eyes "Though why he had to pick my apprentice-"

"I daresay the answer will present itself in due time" Elrond muttered, his eyes now narrowing on the girl's head of russet red hair. "I take it she does not know?"

"To be frank, I'm not sure if I quite understand it myself" Gandalf admitted quietly, following his friend's gaze as he watched the two youths start to laugh loudly "Nuldien has kept a great deal many secrets before. But this seems to be unbelievable even for her. Even Radagast could see the connection on first sight!"

"Gandalf, even a blind begger could see the connection from a mile off, and if what you say about her history so far is indeed true, then perhaps it was for that very reason her existence was kept a secret. But that's not the problem here" Elrond sighed heavily "The point is why would Nuldien send the child here in the first place? Why not come herself and explain everything to us? Why send the girl in her stead?"

"Believe me Elrond if I knew the reason I would give it, but I do not!" Gandalf huffed grumpily as he leaned on his staff "All I know is, is that this girl is the key to something bigger. And that if we are to have any hope for the future, I must keep her safe until it's her time-"

"Her time for what?"

"I have no idea…" the wizard muttered falling to silence as he and the elven lord both watched the young humans now laughing loudly at each other's jokes.

They were both so young, so far removed from the troubles of the world.

 _If only peaceful moments like this could last a little longer…_

Gandalf sighed softly to himself.

If only…

* * *

"I believe this is where I am leave you" Estel smirked as he led his lightly blushing companion back towards a set of steps.

They were in front of the houses accommodating the dwarves company. Above them the sun hung low as late afternoon dragged on, bathing both young humans in a rich golden light.

"Thank you for showing me the gardens" Ariel smiled at the young man. "They were so beautiful. It really helped after all the fuss this morning"

Now it was Estel's turn to blush a little.

"The pleasure was all mine Lady Ariel. Truth be told it was wonderful talking with you. I do look forward to our next conversation at dinner tonight."

"Tonight?" Ariel blinked then suddenly relaxed "Oh, right. The dinner with Lord Elrond, I almost forgot."

"So did I" Estel admitted taking a step back, but not before taking her hand in his and lowering his face to it in gentlemanly fashion.

"Till tonight then my good Lady."

"Yes…till tonight" Ariel gulped, mentally fanning herself as she watched the tall youth before her step back respectfully, smiling as she nervously stepped back and slipped backwards through the door to the house.

Once it was shut, Ariel slumped back against the wood, a strange strangled giggle of nervous excitement escaping her red blushing and very wide grinning face.

She was quick to cover it up however, as a familiar voice suddenly called out:

"Hello? Who's-AH! Lass there yer are!"

It was Bofur followed by most of the company who welcomed her warmly with a chorus of relieved shouts and exclamations.

She did her best to keep a smile on her face as she greeted the dwarves one by one, assuring them each that she was alright and was feeling better, though she felt her facade crack slightly when she made to go back up the stairs.

 _Back under the same roof as King Jerkface again…I guess escape really is futile huh?_

She grunted, the euphoria from her lovely afternoon starting to seep away.

She heard the soft padding of large feet running up along the corridor.

"Miss Ariel"

"Bilbo?" She quickly turned and saw the hobbit as he came to stop before her panting a little out of breathlessness.

He tried his best to straighten up and coughed a little as he spoke.

"Listen um...I'm not really sure where to begin but…but I just thought you should know that I'm really glad you're also here on this…uh…adventure and…and I understand what you mean when you said that you miss your family…I also…miss my home a lot and I was just going to say that…if you need someone to talk to I'm-"

But he never finished his sentence, for Ariel had knelt and scooped him up into a tight hug.

"Thank you" she mumbled.

Bilbo blinked in absolute astonishment, though it was quick to turn into a small smile as he reached up and patted her back gently.

After a few moments, they both quietly detached not noticing the dark shadow of Thorin Oakenshield at the end of the corridor quickly stride out of sight his face grim and dark.

 _Well she's certainly worming her way through all of them…and that human boy. How old is he anyway? He can't be more than a year or two older than her at most…still a child…_

He thought bitterly as he did his best to walk in the shadows, only to be stopped by Balin who chose at that moment to cross paths.

"Oh Thorin, have you heard? Ariel's come back."

"So I see…" Thorin rolled his eyes "and it appears she has made a new _friend_ "

"ah, the young man you mean?" Balin smirked knowingly "Well, yer can't blame her can ye? After all he is quite a strapping young lad-"

He stopped as the Dwarf King snorted:

"You mean the young fool? The one whom she's cast another spell over?" He snapped as the older dwarf fixed him with a disapproving glower.

"Thorin, come now lad enough is enough. The so what if the girl has magic? She's still just a young lass, one who's very far from home in the company of strangers. I agree that to some degree she is still far too young and inexperienced to be travelling on such a dangerous quest however that does not mean that her opinions are in anyway less valid than ones made by anyone else in this company. Especially since she does make a valid point."

"And what is that?" Thorin rolled his eyes with disdain.

"That you're letting your ego rule your head" Balin gave a heavy sigh "You of all people Thorin should know that such pride is dangerous to hold onto. It consumed your grandfather and your father before you-"

"I am not my grandfather or my father" Thorin muttered though he sounded unsure.

Balin's eyes softened a little with melancholy as he considered the prince's hesitant face.

"I know you aren't laddie. But still…it doesn't hurt to have a friend by your side that keeps your head down to earth"

"She is not my _friend_." Thorin spat

"Then perhaps she should be. Who knows, maybe you could learn a thing or two from her."

And with that Balin quietly walked off leaving Thorin alone to brood on his own in the corridor.

After a few minutes of standing and looking at the stone floor beneath his feet he rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I cannot believe I'm doing this"

He turned on his heel and strode up the stairs two at a time in his long strong strides.

He quickly reached the second floor once more and came up swiftly to Ariel's door.

He knocked hard on the beautifully carved wood.

"Ariel"

There was no answer.

 _Oh come on for heavens sake open the door girl._

He knocked again. Again no answer.

He knocked again this time grunting softly under his breath.

"this is ridiculous"

He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it hard pushing open the door with a mighty shove…only to stop dead in his tracks his eyes bulging as Ariel stilled in her spot, the top half of her dress falling from her hands and her bare bosom.

Thorin felt his cheeks flare up with heat as he and the young sorceress stared at one another in shock. Balin called her a girl, a wee lass, but in body she was anything but.

She was slender on top but had curvier wider hips. Her skin was perhaps not as pale as the other humans he'd met in this part of the world, but rather a soft beige, with a speckling of darker brown freckles over her back. As he looked up the length of it he was suddenly struck by her height. Thorin knew that once the girl had truly reached full maturity she would be a tall woman, like her mighty human forefathers used to be in days of old.

She certainly looked mighty as her face contorted with fierce rage, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

The dwarves downstairs all jumped in fright when they heard the loud feminine shriek of:

"THORIN!"

* * *

There were small sniggers from the entire company as Thorin Oakenshield and Ariel Brooks both walked silently with Gandalf towards the grand building where Elrond Lord of Rivendell resided.

Even Gandalf could not supress a small smile of amusement as he glanced down at the dwarf prince's sour face which had now a large red bruise over his left cheek from where Ariel's hand had struck hard and sharp.

The wizard then chanced a small peek at the girl by his other side. Her expression would have been rather cold and distant had it not been for the deep flush of pink of embarrassment that was dusted over her cheeks.

With a small sigh Gandalf turned his gaze back towards the path they were all walking on and was relieved to see Elrond himself step down towards them from a high set of stairs and greet them.

Behind him Estel stood dutifully paying his respects to Thorin and Gandalf in turn before offering his arm to Ariel, who took it quickly, far too keen to avoid the small glare at her back from Thorin.

Quickly they were all ushered up into a building and onto an open terrace on which elves were either serving food or drink. As they did so soft gentle music wafted about filling the air with a sweetness that soothed the company as they made to take their seats at two tables.

One was long and low to the ground and with two benches on either side. The twelve dwarves and Bilbo each took a seat at this table, whilst Elrond, Gandalf, Thorin, Estel and Ariel were seated at a taller smaller round table laden with delicate dishes.

The lattermost smiled fondly as the other dwarves on the low table examined the feast in front of them with intrigue and confusion, for most of it was made up of greens and breads with very little meats.

But Ariel didn't mind. The delicate food she was served was scrumptious and surprisingly filling even though she ate a small amount with as much delicacy as she could.

Eventually once they were close to finishing their course, Gandalf showed their host the slender but sharp swords that he had picked up from the troll hoard only a few days ago.

"This is Orcrist" Elrond said his eyes alight with wonder as he examined the detailing on the blade in his hands "The goblin-cleaver. A famous blade. Forged by the high elves of the west, my kin. May it serve you well"

He handed the sword back to Thorin who nodded back respectfully as he took it. Ariel noticed that now he knew more about the sword, the dwarf handled it with greater care than he had done before. She could only suppose that even if he was not fond of elves, even he could appreciate good craftsmanship and heritage. He watched as Gandalf now handed his own longer stronger blade towards the elven lord who now looked if possible even more fascinated.

"This is Glamdring, Foe-hammer. Sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the goblin wars of the first age. How did you come by these?"

"We found them in a Troll-hoard on the Great East Road" Gandalf replied "Shortly before we were ambushed by Orcs"

"A troll hoard?" Estel asked with a small frown "But trolls rarely travel this far south."

"That's what I thought as well young man" Gandalf nodded gravely "And what's more, there were three of them, all highly intelligent for their kind"

"Really? Highly intelligent?" Ariel snorted "I've babysat four-year old's with sharper wits than them-"

"I did say intelligent _for their kind_ " Gandalf quirked a brow at her "For there are very few trolls that ever develop the ability to talk. Those that do are few and far between. The fact that we found three of them along the Great East Road is quite astounding."

"And what were you doing on the Great East Road?" Elrond glanced up at the wizard curiously.

Gandalf was quiet for a moment as he seemed to ponder his answer.

 _So…we haven't told him yet of the quest…_

Ariel casually took a sip from her drink only to wince as the fruity bitter taste of red wine coated her tongue. She had never drunk alcohol in her life, let alone taste such a potent beverage. She did her best to look natural as she could when she quickly and quietly set the delicate goblet down and lightly bit into the last of her food before her just as Thorin stood up to his feet.

"Excuse me"

There was a small silence as Elrond watched him go shrewdly. As soon as the dark head of hair was out of sight the elven lord turned towards Ariel with a small smile that couldn't quite hide his inquisitiveness.

"Forgive me Lady Ariel, if I may sound like I am sceptical, but how does a young woman such as yourself bear to travel on such a dangerous road alongside so many… _strangers_ "

"Well…" Ariel paused to nervously dab at her mouth with her napkin "it's not as bad as it seems. You see my father used to take my brother and I camping a lot, and he taught me heaps about surviving in the wilderness-"

"Your father was a Ranger?" Estel wondered aloud.

"No, he was a carpenter." Ariel shook her head "But he always loved the outdoors, and he always said he wanted my brother and I to know how to fend for ourselves just in case. Of course, back home it wasn't quite as dangerous to travel so…well…"

She trailed off, quickly taking another sip of her wine. She didn't like the flavour at all, but she just needed something to do as she was scrutinized by the dark eyes of Lord Elrond.

"You have a brother?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, an older one. Ian."

"and no sisters?"

"None that I'm aware of." Ariel smirked "Trust me, one brother is more than enough siblings for me."

The rest of the table chuckled softly.

"And what of your mother?" Estel asked brow furrowed "Surely she must be worried for her only daughter to be travelling so far from home alone?"

"Probably. I…I never really got to say goodbye to her before I left home. So I wouldn't know how she feels…" Ariel trailed off, her stomach churning uncomfortably as she remembered the words from only this morning:

 _"Go run back home to your mother's lap"_

 _But my Mum's not here for me to run to anymore_

She thought bitterly.

 _And neither is Dad or Ian. Ariel you're just gonna have to suck it up and push yourself through all of this on your own._

She shook her head out slightly and looked up only to see that the rest of her table were watching her sympathetically, but also a couple of the attending elves that stood about them, their slender hands stilled in mid-air as they made to take the plates away.

"Sorry" she muttered, quickly wiping at the corner of her slightly bright eyes. "It's just-"

"You miss them" Elrond nodded solemnly as he gestured to their attendants to finish their task "It is neither a weakness nor a shame to feel homesickness. Especially if it is your first time being so far away for your family. I remember when it was my first hunt in the wilderness on my own. Though I felt excited at the prospect of flying from the nest, so too did I feel the sting of sadness whenever I thought of my family back home. Though I must admit I am shocked that you never had the chance to bid them farewell before departing on such a long journey."

"So was I in the beginning." Gandalf nodded but then added with a small smile "but time and time again Ariel has proven her strength and fortitude. Rarely have I seen a youngling so hardy when it came to live on the road, and mastering her powers-"

"Hardly. So far all I can really control is if something grows or shrinks-Out of tune" Ariel muttered under her breath before she could stop herself.

"Out of tune?" Elrond exchanged a quick glance with Gandalf who shrugged

"The harp. one of the strings of the lower octaves is slightly flat and the five highest strings are too tightly wound which is why they're sounding sharper than the others. Oh I'm sorry I was just mouthing off again um…sorry…"

But even as Ariel looked back to the musical instrument she found that the performer, a very pretty dark-haired elf maid, was already standing up and gesturing for her to take her place.

"Please sit. I have been hearing a wrong sound all evening but I had yet to find out the cause. You have a good ear, better indeed then some elves I have known. For how long have you played? And who taught you?"

"My…my father did" Ariel murmured quietly as she made to sit down at the instrument "he was a carpenter but he specialised in making musical instruments. Harps were his favourite. When I was young he used to play for the family all the time. And then when I was old enough he taught me what he knew and we used to play together."

"Then my lady I shall leave my charge in your capable care."

Ariel bit her lip slightly feeling a little nervous but the lady only smiled at her with something akin to respect before stepping aside to join Lindir who was standing behind Elrond and looking warily at the dwarves. They had not noticed the exchange of musicians instead opting to stuff their faces and talk loudly and raucously at their table, Thorin walking about them and checking up on each member in turn.

 _Well at least I can get this over with quickly and quietly._

Despite the small twinge of homesickness in her heart, Ariel felt her lips quirk upwards in a soft smile as her digits traced over the series of strings, their familiar resonances comforting to her ears in spite of their slight deviations from their true sweet sound.

 _Ouch that really is sharp_

She frowned a little in concentration as she adjusted a peg over the higher pitched strings, softly strumming as she went.

Once or twice she glanced at the rest of the company through the strings. On the third time she caught Fili's eye as he looked up from his plate.

She gave a tiny wave to which he responded to with a small smile of his own before quietly pointing at the harp in front of her. She gave a silent shrug and he chuckled about to open his mouth to speak to her only for Kili to call out loudly as he threw across a bread roll to his brother

"Oy Fili catch"

 _Honestly why do Dwarves love to play with their food?_

Ariel shook her head fondly smirking as she turned back to tuning the harp.

Sensing her momentary distraction Elrond turned his attention back to Gandalf, his face grim.

"Thirteen Dwarves, a Halfling and an untrained sorceress. Strange traveling companions Gandalf"

"These are the descendants of the house of Durin" the wizard did his best to smile as he gestured towards the rowdy table before them. "They're noble, decent folk. And they're surprisingly cultured, they've got a deep love of the arts"

But even as he spoke Nori turned to the flautist who was once more making her rounds, and complained loudly.

"Change the tune, why don't you? I feel like I'm at a funeral"

"Did somebody die?" Oin looked about in bewilderment his hearing trumpet held tightly against his ear.

Estel snorted into his goblet of wine, earning himself a small disappointed but still affectionate shake of the head from Lord Elrond who winced as Bofur decided to jump promptly up onto the table

"Alright lads. There's only one thing for it!"

Ariel quickly looked up and Gandalf and Elrond exchanged confused glances just as the dwarf began to sing loud and merrily over the rest of the company.

"The~re's. A~n. Inn, there's an inn. There's a merry old inn, beneath an old grey hill. And there they brew a beer so brown, that the Man in the Moon himself came down one night to drink his fill. The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-string fiddle; And up and down he saws his bow. Now squeaking high…now purring low, now sawing in the middle. So, the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle a jig that would wake the dead: He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune, while the landlord shook the Man in the Moon: It's after three he said!"

There were loud cheers as the twelve dwarves delightedly threw their food at their new entertainer who barked loudly with laughter as he was pelted with rolls of pastries and sweet breads. Many of these food items however missed their targets and hit the walls and floor much to the discomfort of their hosts.

Ariel almost panicked when she looked back towards her table.

Estel was doing his best to keep his amused chuckles to himself (and miserably failing) while Elrond shut his eyes with an exasperated sigh along with Gandalf who was pinching the bridge of his nose. He quickly turned to Ariel and she was amused to see that although the wizard was trying to keep a straight face his eyes were almost pleading her for help.

"alright but you owe me old man" she grinned cheekily and he gently frowned at her.

Bilbo was doing his best to duck and avoid any flying pieces of food when he heard the first notes from the harp float into his ears, like the echo of a soft raindrop on a windowsill.

Ariel meanwhile didn't notice any of the eyes that were upon her.

For the first time since she had arrived in Middle Earth she was finally doing something she knew she was good at. Something that felt comfortable to her. It was such a relief that she simply shut her eyes and began to hum quietly to herself.

Bilbo leaned his head on his hand as he shut his eyes quietly. In comparison to the elves she didn't have such a great singing voice, but it was light and sweet enough to hold a tune well.

The Hobbit didn't recognise the tune, or the lyrics. However, he did know for sure that it was certainly not one of the elves compositions. They're songs were sweet and melodic but also sad and bittersweet for they spoke of times long gone. Times when the earth beneath their feet was young and the winds that flew about them were fresh and sweet for they had never been breathed before upon the surface of the world.

No…this song was a different. It was slow and mellow but at the same time it was joyful, as if it were looking forward to a bright future rather than a forgotten memory.

 _One of the perks of youth I guess…_

He reasoned as he caught sight of the girl performing the piece. Oh what he wouldn't give to be that young again and to be able to look forwards without such a cynical eye on the world.

As he let the tune wash over him the dwarves around him fell slowly into silence as they too began to listen as the tune changed key.

Gandalf's small smile fell as he caught sight of Thorin staring at the girl from the other end of the dwarves table. For once his gaze wasn't angry, instead his eyes travelled over the young girls red hair and peaceful face with something soft and wistful…

 _Well there's something you don't see every day...Goodness what have I started?_

* * *

In a dark forest, upon a dark hill, the ruins of a fortress loomed high above the trees.

Its shadow was long under the light of the moon, though it wasn't as dark as the ghostly shadow that lurked within its decaying walls of the top most tower.

The shade was almost the shape of a man, though it seemed more fluid than solid even as it raised a hand. It was a disgusting, dark limb, almost like a gnarled claw and just as terrifying even though the index finger was no mere than a mere stump. The figure hissed to the darkness in a speech that was just as harsh as his voice, which sounded like hard metal scraping over the surface of rough stone.

At once the orb beneath its fingers lit up from within.

The hand twitched impatiently as the bright colours swirled about, their shades mostly dark, with flashes of silver moonlight and midnight blue skies.

The shadow hissed again to the dark and the colours within the orb began to writhe faster, a sliver of green and red snaked its way into its core as an image began to form from the mass of shades.

There was a softer hiss from the shadow as a young girl's face came into view. It was soft and gentle as she played upon a harp set before her, her fingers dancing between the strings as she softly sang.

"I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue, and clouds of white. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

Such notions of light and of hope were as revolting to the shadow as eating mud would be to a food connoisseur. So, it was with great force of will that the shadow kept its hand stilled above the orb even in its disgust as the girl continued to sing.

"The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces, of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, 'How do you do?' They're really saying, 'I love you'. I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They'll learn much more, then I'll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself…what a wonderful… world…"

She trailed off gently as her fingers plucked the final notes.

The shadow's hand smoothed itself over the surface of the orb, black talon like nails delicately scraping over the girl's face.

The child, she could not see it but _he_ could. The power that glowed from within her, green, bright like fresh emerald coloured grass.

What he wouldn't give to obtain such energy. The powers he gained from absorbing the life-forces of other more powerful beings was indeed beneficial…

But theirs were tainted by the darkness's of their bearer's hearts and stretched by years of wandering the earth in use. Hers on the other hand was for the most part untouched and whole…almost ripe for the picking.

He only needed to wait for a little longer...wait for her to come to him. And she would come to him…For he held her heart's desire right in the palm of his black dead hand.

* * *

The moon was well on its way to rising high in the sky by the time the company of Thorin had finally finished their evening meal.

Most of them were now happy to go off to bed, their stomachs full and their minds more at ease with their new resting places. All save five of them.

Gandalf, Ariel, Bilbo, Balin and Thorin were all still wide awake as they stood in one of the many halls of Rivendell with Elrond standing before them patiently as the lattermost growled venomously much to the irritation of all present.

"Our business is no concern of Elves"

"For goodness sake Thorin, show him the map" Gandalf snapped gruffly.

"It is the legacy of my people." Thorin glared at the wizard angrily. "It is mine to protect as our its secrets"

Bilbo, Balin and Ariel all exchanged the same irritated look with one another, the lattermost barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes as her mentor shook his head in exasperation.

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond"

Elrond, who had been watching on quietly as the dwarf prince and wizard bickered, now looked expectantly at Thorin who grit his teeth as he reached into the pocket of his outer jacket before handing it forward.

Bilbo gulped nervously as the folded-up leaf of parchment was carefully opened up and examined.

"Erebor?" Elrond's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked back up at Thorin "What is your interest in this map?"

"It is purely academic" Gandalf said quickly before anyone else could open their mouths. "As you know this sort of artefact sometimes contains hidden text. "You still read ancient Dwarvish do you not?"

Whilst it was clear that Elrond was not actually buying the wizard's lie he made no comment as he made to examine the map more closely in the light of the moon through an open window.

Finally, after a moment of nervous waiting he murmured in wonder in his own smooth elvish tongue.

"Moon Runes? Of course,"

Gandalf's eyes widened slightly as the two dwarves, the hobbit and the girl beside him turned with questioning looks.

"An easy thing to miss"

"In this case it is true" Elrond muttered as he turned the page in his hands around to as to change the angle of the light. "Since moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which were written"

"Can you read them?" Thorin's breath was heavy with anticipation and his eyes were alight with hope.

* * *

Ten minutes later and Ariel blinked hard as she and Bilbo came up last out of the long dark tunnel and out onto a small shelf of rock just beneath the edge of the of Rivendell's largest cliff face. Before their eyes the great waterfall that flowed through the Valley streamed down like a giant glistening transparent curtain in the bright night.

"These runes were written by the light of a crescent moon nearly 200 years ago" Elrond said as he stepped forwards to place the map of Erebor on a slab of white crystal set at the very edge of the cliff.

"It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell" He smirked slightly much to Thorin's discomfort. "Fate is with you Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight"

And as the last words left the elven lord's lips a bright silver crescent moon finally peeked out from behind a couple of small clouds. Ariel watched in awe as the waterfall before them reflected and refracted the white light which danced lightly about them before the beams hit the crystal slab before them.

It began to glow brightly, illuminating the map from beneath so that in the bottom right corner faint letters could be seen slowly but surely gleaming up from what had once been blank space, till a full paragraph was formed.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks" Elrond read aloud, slowly but carefully tracing his finger over each line as he passed over it. "and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole"

"Durin's day?" Bilbo blinked in confusion.

"It is the start of the Dwarves new year" Gandalf explained "when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together"

"This is ill news." Thorin murmured grimly "Summer is passing, Durin's day will soon be upon us"

"Not just soon Thorin" Ariel sighed running a hand through her hair "I mean how on earth are we going to get to that mountain in less than two months?"

"It can be done." Balin said stoutly "it's been done before, it's not impossible. Back in the days of Erebor's greatness the dwarves of the Blue Mountains used to come and pay tribute to the king. We're not as far as they are so we'll still be able to make it in time"

"Time? In time for what?" Bilbo still was looking rather confused.

"To find the entrance" Balin explained "We have to be standing in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then and only then can the door be opened"

"So this is your purpose…to enter the mountain?" Elrond's voice cut the air like a knife so sharply that they all stood stunned for a moment.

Thorin was the first to recover though it was to face a rather grim faced Elven Lord.

"What of it?"

"There are some who would not deem it wise" Elrond murmured as the map in his hands was snatched back by the dwarf prince, just as Gandalf stepped forwards.

"What do you mean?"

But Elrond only spoke, his voice thick with warning.

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle Earth"

* * *

The howls of wargs filled the cold night air around the large raised up mound of Weathertop.

The once great watchtower fortress of the northern realm, now was tainted by the steps of the vilest of creatures, who stood looking from the highest vantage points, over the dark terrain around them.

He was tall for an orc, and built heavily, his skin paler than bone though marred by many red scars that were born with just as much pride as a birthmark. One hand curled about his side as he heard the wargs behind him begin to snuffle and snarl curiously. The other hand however stayed still. However it was no hand. It was just a stump cut off in the middle of the forearm with a crudely fashioned spike like claw appendage pierced through the flesh like a badly hammered nail in wood.

"[The Dwarves, Master…we lost them]" the snivelling raspy voice of one of his kindred spoke from behind him "[Ambushed by Elvish filth we were-]"

"[I don't want excuses]" Azog rumbled his voice like thunder as he turned round to face two much smaller orcs who both cowered as he stepped down towards them.

As the pale orc passed he stroked his hand lightly over the head of a large white warg that sat upon a stone slab, briefly placating it from its snarling state as its master spoke once more.

"[I want the head of the Dwarf King!]"

"[We were outnumbered]" the orc from before whimpered as his chieftain towered over him "[There was nothing we could do. The Dwarf scum have allied themselves with a green-witch, one who made the grass slither like snakes. I barely escaped with my life]"

"[Far better you had paid with it]" the Pale Orc hissed softly as he ran his one hand over the top of the bald head of his lackey who stared up at him in horror before gasping in pain.

The pale orc relished as he felt his prosthetic arm pierce deeply through the pathetic wimp's flesh and he gave a loud war cry. The second Orc who had chosen to stay silent watched on in terror as his fellow was roughly tossed into the centre of five wargs who pounced on the dead flesh at once, shredding the bodily tissue with barely any effort before ravenously devouring it.

Satisfied with the verdict the pale orc walked away to stand back in his vantage point at the rocks.

"[The Dwarf-scum will show themselves soon enough. Send out word! There is a price on their heads!]"

He roared at the shadows from which several more orcs leapt out, quickly mounting their wargs, growling and leering delightedly up at their leader, before speeding down the great mound and into the darkness.

* * *

 **And there we have it. Chapter 6 is up.**

 **So yeah, Ariel and "Estel" have become "friends", Thorin struggles with his attraction to her and Gandalf and Elrond watch on like two old people who are enjoying matchmaking way too much XD.**

 **I've taken out a lot of awkward stuff that i had in the first version of this fic. I'm also still gonna try to mix some more elements of the books (Hobbit and LOTR) and the movies together which means the company will be staying in Rivendell for a while, rather than just the couple of days. It would technically make sense seeing as the company need food, rest and it would take them more than two days to acquire all the provisions they need for their journey to the mountains.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed and review for more,**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	7. In the Dark of Night

**Chapter 7: In the Dark of the Night**

"Relax your shoulders. The tenser you have them, the harder it will be to swing it fast."

"Right, keep my shoulders loose. Got it."

"And your wrists."

"But if I do that the sword will drop."

"Not if you're gripping it correctly, here."

Ariel felt her cheeks flush a little as Estel came over and gently took her hands.

They were in a large courtyard, under the shade of a great tree. The evening sun was hanging low in the sky, bathing both youths in its rich golden light as it began to dip below the horizon.

Estel smirked as he showed his pupil how to adjust her grip on her blunt training sword. She was better than he'd expected, primarily since she was a maid with little to no experience with swordplay.

She was good at anticipating his moves, even if she couldn't entirely block them as effectively. Whatever she lacked in strength, she made up for with determination, spirit and a surprising swiftness.

"You're holding your breath" his smirk widened after exchanging a couple of soft parries.

"Sorry" Ariel sighed the tip of her sword heavily dropping down to the ground "I guess …I-I just never thought there'd ever been a time I needed to use one of these."

"Quite honestly my Lady, I hope you never see such a time" Estel admitted quietly.

"Why? Because I'm such a _Lady_?" said _lady_ snorted, and her fellow human chuckled.

"Nay, your gender does not denote your strength. I've met many an Elleth who can fight fiercely. I merely meant that I hope that no good decent person should ever have a need to fight for their lives against such evil."

"A bit too late for that already," Ariel muttered under her breath but was quick to raise her sword to block Estel's gentle blow.

"Well, amateur skills aside, you have fast reflexes. You just need to stop thinking so much," he smirked as he quickly made to thrust his sword forward in a forward jab.

Ariel was quick to jump out of the way, thrusting her own practice blade towards the opening he left on his side. He blocked it expertly but still smiled in pleasant surprise at her daring.

"Much better." He raised his sword and began to swiftly bring it towards her in several swings which she quickly blocked "See, the less you think, the more you can focus on what's in front of you."

Ariel smiled, her ears flushing a light pink as the lesson continued. It was nice to be able to be with someone her age, after being stuck with only dwarves and old wizards to talk to for a few weeks.

True Fili and Kili were closer to her in age, and Bilbo was always good company, but something was comforting about being able to talk to someone else of her own species that helped ease some of the tension of being the outsider. Plus, it didn't hurt that Estel was pretty easy on the eyes-

"AHEM!"

"Ow!" she winced as the flat of her partner's practice blade hit her side hard.

 _"_ I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Estel apologised rushing towards her as she nursed her side.

"It's okay. I got distracted" Ariel gave him a small smile as he patted her down for injuries, only to flush pink as she realised his warm hand was around her waist. Estel noticed it too, and though he mastered his blush better, she could see the tips of his ears turn the lightest shade of pink as he quickly retracted his hands.

"Uh…" he gulped as they each took a step back from one another. "Sorry, that was rather forward of me."

"It's alright. Stuff happens" Ariel mumbled cursing her cheeks that had now gone as red as her hair.

 _Stuff happens? Real smooth Ariel._

She rolled her eyes only to jump as another cough pierced the air. A very familiar dwarven cough.

She and Estel both turned quickly to scowl at the source.

"Ah… It's only you, King Under the Mountain" He raised a cool eyebrow as the shadow moved out from where he stood by the nearby fountain.

 _"It's only you?" Insolent Elven pet._

Thorin Oakenshield glowered as he and the younger human male both squared one another up silently with their eyes, both not breaking contact till Ariel rolled her eyes and sighed.

 _And Gandalf's little she-devil is even more impudent_

He now turned his glare upon said she-devil, only to find her gaze was like ice upon him as she spat:

"What do you want Thorin? I'm in the middle of training."

"So, I can see" Thorin grunted as he quickly spared Estel another glare "Dinner is almost ready at the house, and Gandalf's wants a word with you before you eat. So move it, it wouldn't do for an apprentice to keep her master waiting. So, come on!"

Ariel felt her cheeks flush hotly, though this time it was with anger, not bashfulness. She was used to the Dwarf King's angry growling grunts at her, but sometimes it really bugged her just how rude he could be.

 _I mean what does he think I am? A dog he can tell to go fetch?_

"Okay, first off, Gandalf isn't my master. He's my _mentor._ " She snapped folding her arms stubbornly _"_ And secondly you might be the King of Dwarves but you ain't the king of me, so next time you want to ask me to do something you can do so politely or not speak to me at all and spare us both the pain of dealing with one another."

 _Why this little-No-No stay calm, she is just a petulant maiden not worth your temper._

Thorin gritted his teeth as he did his best to soothe his temper. Usually, he could keep himself composed as a king should be, but all that would go to pot when this witch entered his vision. He wasn't quite sure why it happened, she just made his stomach broil and distracted him every time she entered the room, though he blamed that entirely on her hair. It was always so unique amidst the usual sea of browns and dirty blondes. True Gloin's beard was just as fiery red, but for some reason Thorin's eyes always found themselves drawn to the darker rusty locks whenever they entered his field of vision.

He was fuming so hotly that he almost didn't catch Estel's next sentence.

"Perhaps it is wise we stop training for today. You've progressed well in a short space of time, and I have no doubt you'll be quite the swordswoman within a couple of weeks."

Thorin's stomach turned over as he saw the shy blush once again consume Ariel's face as she smiled and giggled awkwardly.

"Ah-ha-ha. That's sweet, but I think it's going to take a _very,_ long time till I get as good as you or really, any normal person."

"Somehow I doubt that. But come. Gandalf is waiting, and if he must speak with you before a meal, it must be a very urgent matter indeed" Estel grabbed the two training swords in one hand and was about to take Ariel's arm in his other when Thorin swiftly stopped him.

"I'm afraid you'll have to escort lady Ariel another time _boy_. Your lord Elrond awaits you at his house."

"Very well then. Thank you for the message _master dwarf_." Estel forced a polite smile, his cold eyes only softening as he looked at Ariel.

"We continue our lessons same time tomorrow then?"

"Absolutely" Ariel smiled, doing her best to stifle another small giggle as the young human man kissed hand in gentlemanly fashion and bid her goodnight.

"Till tomorrow then my lady. Your majesty" he added to Thorin curtly as he let go of her hand.

When he was safely out of sight and out of earshot, Ariel rounded on Thorin, nostrils flaring.

"You always have to spoil everything don't you?" she hissed fiercely.

"I spoil everything?" Thorin growled, "Wasn't it Gandalf who once said that _your kind_ is not allowed to form attachments to others?"

Ariel gritted her teeth. Yes, Gandalf had told her that before. In fact, it was one of the critical lessons he had been trying to drill into her head since the first day they met. And she had adhered to it…most of the time…

But right now it wasn't helping the mounting frustration that continued to build up inside her even as the dwarf king smirked at her.

It wasn't often that he won their arguments, but when he did it was oh-so-satisfying.

 _Petty woman_

He rolled his eyes as with a huff Ariel stormed off away from the courtyard.

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Ariel bit her lip as she stood alone with Gandalf on a higher balcony of the Dwarves guest house "Lord Elrond has given us supplies for a journey, but only as long as we don't head for the Lonely Mountain?"

"To put it simply, yes" Gandalf nodded gravely as he looked out over the beautiful view stretched out before them of the Valley being bathed in rich orange-gold light.

"And let me guess you want to completely ignore him and go ahead to the mountain anyway" Ariel quirked a brow.

"And what makes you say this my dear?" Gandalf raised his own bushy eyebrows at her as she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Because you've got your little scheming face on."

"My little what?" Gandalf snorted at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Your scheming face; Your eyes get all twinkly and you get this little sneaky smirk."

Gandalf blinked at her for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"You truly are a chip of the old block" he patted her shoulder gently. "But yes you are right. It is still our plan to go on ahead to the Mountain, with or without the blessing of the Elves. Though I will still do what I can to change Lord Elrond's mind tonight. He has summoned me to hold Council after dinner. And speaking of Elrond,"

Ariel bristled uncomfortably as the blue eyes pierced straight through her.

"Thorin tells me that you've been spending a lot of time with the young Estel"

"Oh yeah? And what else has our _dear King Under the Mountain_ told you?" Ariel pouted, cheeks flushing a little red despite herself.

"Ariel," Gandalf sighed "I've told you many times, forming friendships with others is one thing, but it is forbidden for those of our order to seek out relationships."

"He's just showing me around the Valley and teaching me how to use a sword" Ariel grumbled "Listen, Gandalf, I may like Estel, but I swear, there's **nothing** going on between us. The most he's done is kiss my hand and maybe flirt once or twice. Otherwise the two of us are just good friends, like how I am with Fili and Kili. Speaking of which, why are you so against Estel, I thought you liked him?"

"I'm not against him as a person at all. Merely concerned about the nature of his relationship with you, especially considering what you both are."

"What do you mean?" Ariel frowned in confusion.

Gandalf sighed again.

"What I mean is…Estel, isn't just Estel. His true name is Aragorn. Son of Arathorn and heir-"

"-to Isildur. The true King of Gondor" Ariel finished quietly, head falling into her hands.

Oh, how could she have been so STUPID! She knew the story of the Lord of the Rings like the back of her hand. How on Earth could she have forgotten this one important detail. Of course, Estel was Aragorn. Why else would a human be living in Rivendell? Aragorn was raised in Rivendell for his own protection, it would be logical that Elrond would've changed his name to something else to keep him hidden from Sauron's watchful gaze.

"I take it you know of whom I speak, from your future telling abilities" Gandalf's shoulders relaxed as she straightened up and ran a hand through her hair.

"You could say that. Damn! I can't believe I was so blind" she cursed herself, as the Old man chuckled softly.

"You may have many gifts Ariel, but you are still young and will make some mistakes. Do not worry, we shall work on them with time"

"I guess so." Ariel mumbled as she made to follow the wizard back into the house.

 _Ariel…_

She paused at the threshold and looked over her shoulder.

There was nothing there save the balcony and the view of the sun starting to sink below the horizon line.

Yet she was sure she had heard a familiar voice calling.

 _Ariel_

There it was again, coming from the edge of the railing.

 _That voice…it sounds just like…_

She jumped as she felt an old wrinkled hand suddenly wrap around her shoulder in comfort.

"My dear…are you alright?" Gandalf was looking down on her, bushy eyebrows furrowed in deep concern.

"What?" she blinked then quickly shook her head "Oh it's okay. Sorry Gandalf I just zoned out there for a second. Probably just the wind."

"Well, you might want to get yourself back _into the zone_ as you say. Dinner is ready and I'm sure you'd want to get stuck in quickly before Bofur devours everything" Gandalf smiled as he ushered her to walk before him, though once his back was turned he let himself frown thoughtfully.

Everything looked alright outside and yet…

 _Hmm…I wonder…_

* * *

 _Just what is wrong with her today? She looks so down._

Bilbo watched with a worried frown as Ariel glumly nibbled at her food. She had been downcast ever since her talk with Gandalf just before dinner.

And so, he did what any hobbit would do to lift someone's mood.

"Here, try these, they're delicious." He offered a plate with some sweet meats to her.

"Huh? Oh, thanks Bilbo" Ariel gave the hobbit a small smile as she took some of the sweet meats onto her plate.

"Is everything alright? You look somewhat down" he asked her quietly as he took the plate from her and set it back down in its spot.

"Just thinking…about home" she murmured softly so that only he could hear. "I wonder what my parents are up to? If my brother's gotten any better"

"I'm sure they're all doing fine." Bilbo placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I know…it's just…I can't help but wonder…" her voice fell away as she sighed. "Y'know what just forget it. I'm just tired. I'll feel better once I eat."

She forced a smile on her face as she took a large bite out of her food.

He wasn't the only one who noticed her dour mood. Thorin, like usual was watching her closely, however unlike the many other times he'd done so, he looked less crotchety and more anxious.

It wasn't like her to be so blue, especially around food. He wondered if it was because of their earlier altercation, yet she didn't seem to notice him as he offered gruffly passed her a sauce she was trying to reach for to drizzle over the meat.

She seemed…sad…truly and utterly miserable.

She claimed she was merely homesick and yet he couldn't help but notice the weight that seemed to have descended upon her shoulders. He knew that weight only too well, for he had worn it ever since he'd lost his kingdom. The weight of one having many tough decisions held in ones hands.

He said nothing to comfort her. For one thing he was afraid he'd botch whatever words came out of his mouth. For another, this was her personal trial and he knew this was something she had to learn to bear for herself.

He only hoped she was strong enough to bear the struggles that awaited her. If only for her own sake.

Little did he know of the voice she could hear, nudging at the back of her mind as if from a distance.

 _Ariel…Ariel…_

* * *

Lord Elrond stared after the human youth that stormed away from the courtyard they'd been talking in, and back into the main house.

It had been a hard task to accomplish, but he had finally gotten around to it after all these years.

Telling Estel the truth.

No.

Telling Aragorn, son of Arathorn the truth. About himself and about Lady Ariel, or at least, what they knew about the young Istari, for Elrond himself was still quite unsure as to her true nature.

Just as he was unsure of what to do now.

 _Now he knows the truth. How he handles this will determine if he's truly ready to take his place amongst his people. I must be patient…_

The elven lord sighed heavily as he stared over the sun as it dipped below the horizon.

He shivered a little, yet not because of the cold night air. He looked around. He was certain there was someone else there, lurking in the shadows of a tree.

No. It was impossible. His Ring of Power, Vilya, the Ring of Air, protected his valley from the darkness.

 _Unless it is a darkness one has brought in with them…But no…either Gandalf or I would've sensed it…_

He shook his head slightly to clear it, straightening out the collar to his robes as he made to swiftly set off.

It was time he talked to the Grey Wizard.

* * *

"Ariel…Ariel…"

Ariel Brook's eyes opened slowly into the darkness of the high roof above her head.

 _Just a dream…Just the wind._

She sighed in exasperation as she rubbed at her eyes, looking about herself in confusion.

 _But that was odd…I could've sworn I heard someone calling me now…and then again earlier on the-_

"Ariel…"

Ariel stiffened. There it was again.

That voice…

"Ariel"

She shivered.

It was as if someone had taken a snake's hissing slither and turned it into words.

"Ariel…" it whispered, almost as if in her ear, even though it was still so very distant, and yet it was strangely…familiar.

"Ian?" Ariel breathed. "I-Is that you?"

"Yes Airy I am here…"

"B-but…but…you can't be" Ariel stammered feeling her eyes heat up and burn as they watered over. "Y-You're still back h-home you're-"

"No Airy" Ian's voice turned gentle almost a comforting caress "I'm here…out here on the balcony outside…"

"But how-"

"Please Ariel" Ian's voice was almost now begging, pleading "Please…come to me…I need you…You're the only one who can help me…"

She barely could feel her feet as they swung over the edge of her bed, her brothers voice still whispering to her through the night.

"This way…hurry!"

"I'm coming Ian" Ariel whispered, her feet moving soundlessly over the smooth stone of the floor. She wasn't quite sure whether it was the relief and joy of hearing her brothers voice again, or if it was the fear of losing it, but she seemed to feel more like a passenger of her legs and body than a driver…and for some reason…she did not mind it…no…she did not feel anything.

Before she could even comprehend what, she was doing her legs had carried her to a large set of steps that stood high up in the open air.

"That's right Ariel just a few more steps" Ian's voice hissed gently in her ear as she took a step towards the edge of a small landing on the steps.

"Now stand up"

The entire staircase had low hand rails that only reached her hands as they fell limply over her sides so it wasn't difficult for her to step up onto them.

She looked down and was surprised to find that the great height at which she stood did not bother her…but like before it was not that she was comfortable with her predicament…she just didn't feel at all…at least not until Ian said.

"Now come to me"

"What?" she blinked and looked down. In her stomach she suddenly felt the drop of her gut.

She was more than four stories high off the ground and counting, her body thankfully balanced on the wide step beneath her feet, one step backwards and she'd be safe.

But as soon as she made to lean back Ian's voice hissed in her ear once more.

"Ariel …Come to me…"

"…B-but Ian…I-I-can't! I'll-I'll fall." Ariel stuttered as she tried to move her legs, to her horror she found that they were stuck in place as if invisible ropes had bound themselves about her ankles.

"Don't you want to see me?" Ian's voice snarled and she shuddered.

"Yes, yes I do but-"

"Ariel please…I'm begging you-"

"NO I can't! Ian stop! If I drop I'll die!" she cried out. Then suddenly she felt a burst of heat and saw to her horror a fiery red eye flashing angrily at her.

"I said **COME**!" a deep rumbling voice roared in her head, louder than any thunderclap and storm combined.

 **"COME TO ME!"**

Ariel barely had time to scream as suddenly she felt the invisible rope around her legs tug her forwards so that she keeled over the edge.

"NO!"

Ariel's body suddenly lurched backwards as a pair of strong hands, grabbed her by material of her nightgown.

She squeaked with terror as she felt the slightly shorter form of a dwarf get squished beneath her as they both fell backwards onto the steps.

"Th-Th-Thorin?" Ariel blubbered as she sat up, looking down on the dwarf king who was still slightly dazed from his fall.

"Are you-ungh-are you alright?" he blinked once or twice to relieve himself of the stars that had begun to burst before his eyes, only to have them rekindled as he was pulled up and into a tight hold.

"He-he was there! H-h-he was…was there…"Ariel's arms about him were trembling violently as she buried her face into his shoulder.

Thorin reached up and patted a large hand over her head of russet hair. It was soft and smelled sweet, but he was quick to squash down these revelations as the young girl tremble in his arms.

"Easy there" he muttered gently, rocking her a little to ease her. "Easy Ariel…I got you…I got you…"

Ariel just sat there holding onto him for dear life as she sobbed.

"His voice…I thought…I thought-"

"Whose voice?" Thorin asked sharply as he pulled away from to look her directly in the eye. "because I didn't hear one at all"

"My…my brother...Ian's…"Ariel spluttered. "But it couldn't have been…he's back home…he's almost half dead…how can he be here if he's half dead?"

She burst out into loud sobs again. Whatever words Thorin had thought to say died in his throat. Instead he carefully brought his arms about her and gingerly patted her back in soothing circles, like one would give a child.

But then again, he thought to himself, in comparison to the rest of the company she was a child…technically barely older than Kili…

And speaking of his nephews…

There was the thundering of footsteps as Kili's voice called out in an aggravated puff.

"Seriously Fili if you can't keep up don't be such a sore loser about…it …"

The younger brother trailed off as he caught sight of the scene before him. He opened his mouth to speak but then suddenly there was the thundering of footsteps and soon Fili and Bilbo were in full view of the spectacle before them.

"Uncle! what happened?" Fili cried out, his face unusually pale, not that Bilbo could blame him. They'd all heard the screams from far down below and it had been enough to make the blood in the hobbits body chill like ice in an instant.

"Keep your voices down." Thorin growled still stroking a gentle hand over the terrified girl's head covering her ears as he whispered "I do not know how, but someone or something tried to push her off…a shadow…"

"What? Pushed?" Bilbo exclaimed in shock "but we were all downstairs and we saw no one come up here. Who could've pushed her?"

At this Kili strode forwards and quickly grabbed Ariel by the shoulders.

"Ariel, who did you see? Was there anyone here with you?"

"Kili don't, she's still in shock!" Bilbo tugged the dwarf's hands away from her.

The Dwarf Prince didn't look too pleased about being told what to do but even as he looked down at the girl on the floor he backed off.

Ariel was now staring ahead through streaming eyes, her entire body trembling from head to foot as she let Thorin gingerly pull her up to her feet.

"Bilbo, Fili quickly take her back to her room and stay with her until I get back. Kili you go fetch Gandalf and tell him what happened."

"And what about you?" Kili asked clearly reluctant to leave his uncle's side. However, Thorin fixed both him and his brother with a stern look.

"I'm going to scope out the area…see if I can find anything of whoever did this. If I don't return after an hour then come looking with the others. Now go all of you"

Thorin watched carefully as Kili ran off down the stairs at a sprint, slowly followed by both Bilbo and Fili who were each supporting Ariel by the sides as they gingerly helped manoeuvre her down the stairs.

Thorin's teeth gritted, as he looked about their surroundings.

Aside from their little group, the staircase was practically deserted. However, Thorin could not shake off the unnatural tingling on the base of his neck…almost as if someone were watching them in secret…hidden to his eyes…

Little was the Dwarf prince to know was that miles and miles away in the shadows of Dol Guldor two blazing orbs of orange lit up like two flames within a dark shadowy face...

…searing with blazing wrath.

* * *

 **So finally after a long hiatus, I've finally edited this chapter.**

 **Took me a while to find the original document for this fic as it was buried amidst several other folders.**

 **So anyways, Ariel's found out about Estel and has had a bit of a spook in the night from...well you all know who we're dealing with :P.**

 **If work and life are both** kind **to me, I may finish remastering another chapter soon, but until then** i **hope you enjoyed and please keep reviewing for more.**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	8. Out the Back Door

**Chapter 8: Out the Back Door**

 _I know this is for my own safety but this really sucks._

Ariel huffed from her spot on the bed.

She was in her rooms at Rivendell, alone, watching the pink sun setting over the hidden valley. It had almost been a full day since she'd almost fallen from that ledge. Nearly a full day since she had heard that enchanting voice, the one that sounded eerily like her brother.

She shook her head out, standing up and walking over to wash her hands in the bathroom. She didn't need to really wash them, she just wanted something to do because by god she was bored.

Ever since her attack, both Gandalf and Elrond had pretty much placed her under house arrest in the company's shared accommodations while everyone else combed through the entire valley. The dwarves, she found, were surprisingly eager to help when they heard of the incident. Indeed, Fili and Kili made it their mission to accompany the elven guard's search party along with the young human Estel, with whom they had forged a somewhat tentative comradery in the wake of searching for the culprit.

But the most startling thing of all was Thorin's involvement in the search. Though he and Ariel were still rather distant with one another he was still the only witness to the strange shadow's attack and was determined to catch them out and deal out his own form of justice. Apparently, his hatred for evil murdering shadows outmatched his loathing of Ariel herself…or the elves he was forced to work with during the search.

In that way she supposed, she was fortunate he took her seriously, though that might've had something to do with how seriously Elrond and Gandalf were taking the issue.

Speaking of the Elven lord and the wizard, they were surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. Even when Ariel had apologized for the hundredth time for all the trouble she had brought, Elrond merely put a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently.

"It is alright young one," he had said in a kind soothing voice "You are at no fault for what has transpired."

But she was at fault, she thought glumly as she exited the washroom and fixed her hair in the reflection of her full-length mirror.

The Valley of Rivendell was supposed to be protected by Elrond's ring of power, Vilya. Indeed, the enchantments the elf had placed over his domain was supposed to be powerful enough to keep most horrible evils out, excluding the power of Sauron and the one ring-

Ariel froze, her gut dropping beneath her plain sage green dress.

 _Oh no…oh-no-no-no-no-no! That can't be…Sauron is too weak, he's still the Necromancer…but who else could be that powerful to thwart another ring of power…_

She looked at her staff, which she had set propped next to her writing table. Should she tell Gandalf about this theory, if it was even valid at all? Who else was there in this world that had the power to manipulate shadows and evil to such a horrific degree?

And those orcs…

Before they had reached Rivendell, Dwalin had often tried to spook her by saying rabid packs of Orcs and wargs sometimes roamed free around the wilderness. But that squad that had attacked the company appeared to be very well organized. And there was something about their armour too.

Ariel didn't know much about medieval armour, let alone Orc armour. Yet, there was something about the colouring and design upon the garb of the attackers that seemed too…uniform to merely be a wild pack.

She racked her brain as she thought back to the events of Tolkien's work. If Sauron was still the Necromancer, then that meant he was probably at this moment trying to raise an army for the Battle of the Five Armies, in the depths of Mirkwood.

But what could she possibly be expected to do about that?

She wasn't supposed to reveal anything of the events she knew. Not unless she wanted Sauron to somehow find the One Ring and destroy them all before they had a chance to even reach Erebor.

 _God forbid he got that ring before we reached the mountain._ _With a dragon on his side, he wouldn't need much of an army. He'd just click his fingers and Smaug would probably fry us all like shish-kebabs._

Ariel thought darkly, shivering as the thought of the dark helmeted shadow riding the back of a scarlet dragon. It truly was the stuff of nightmares.

 _Rat-tat-tat!_

"W-who is it?" Ariel squeaked as she wheeled around to face the door. She sighed in relief as she heard a familiar voice.

"Tis me Lady Ariel."

"Estel?"

Ariel quickly opened the door to see the tall young human man leaning outside her doorway. His grey eyes were strangely misty as he hunched over as if some great weight was resting heavily over his shoulders.

"May I come in?" he mumbled, his voice oddly grim and quiet.

"Yeah, sure" Ariel nodded quickly ushering him inside and shutting the door behind him. Old fashioned propriety be damned, the poor guy looked like he'd been put through the emotional wringer.

She was quick to lead him to her writing table where two chairs stood waiting. She had kept them there because Lindir had kept her company for most of the morning, teaching her basic Sindarin Elvish, much to the dwarves consternation.

It hadn't been easy, but already she was beginning to grasp the small basic greetings and words typical of a beginner.

However, all those lessons practically flew out the window as she reached out to put a consoling hand on Estel's shoulder.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? You look…uh…" she trailed off, not quite sure how to not offend him.

Estel seemed to sense her thoughts because he gave her a hollow smirk.

"Dreadful?"

"Was I that obvious?" Ariel sighed heavily, and he gave a weak chuckle.

"Transparently"

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I feel dreadful." Estel admitted dully his head hanging low. "I just…I just needed someone to talk to…someone who's not an elf dwarf, or wizard…someone-"

"Human." Ariel finished quietly.

Estel nodded, his dark brown locks falling in the way of his face as he looked down to his knees.

"We were tracking down the shadow that attacked you" he murmured. "For a while none of the hunting parties found nothing, but your two friends Fili and Kili and I were determined to search beyond the borders without the rest of the hunting party. Nothing too far, just to the banks of the Bruinen. We had reached the edge of the river, but we dared not cross out of the border..." he trailed off shutting his eyes.

"Did you find anything?" Ariel gulped trying to ignore the familiar prickling on the back of her neck that she always got when she had a terrible hunch.

"There was a shadow." Estel bit his lip, grey eyes hardening as they opened once more "a shadow of a man on the opposite bank hidden behind some foliage. I couldn't make out much of his features, save that he had dark skin and very short dark hair. He was tall, and he was wearing strange clothes."

"What kind of strange clothes?" Ariel could feel her gut sinking low even as Estel said:

"A dark red shirt with buttons, strange blue pants and odd shoes. They looked soft yet durable and were brown-"

"With white shoelaces" Ariel finished quietly.

Estel looked up and was astonished to see the young woman's face quite emotionless and blank.

"I take it you know of whom I speak?" he frowned, and Ariel nodded meekly.

"It's my older brother Ian…or at least it _appears_ to be him. The real Ian I know is lying half dead in an eternal sleep across the sea. Cursed by an old crone." she added when Estel looked confused.

"Is this why you travel with Gandalf then?" he asked softly "You hope to find a cure for his condition along the way?"

"Something like that" Ariel murmured her eyes going distant. Then suddenly she shook out her head. "No, but it can't have been him…he couldn't be able to travel in such a condition. And if he really were, he wouldn't have hurt me. Ian would never hurt me…"

The last words were barely audible, as though she was trying to convince herself more than him.

Estel had no idea what to say, so instead, he reached forward to take one of her hands in his on the desk. There was nothing romantic about the gesture, nor the sad tender look he gave her as he squeezed her hand.

She was quick to squeeze his in return, quickly coughing as she did her best to compose herself.

"Sorry, here I am getting all mopey when I should be comforting you"

"It's alright. I think we've all had a rather tense few hours." Estel chuckled and Ariel snorted.

"You can say that again. So, what happened after you saw the shadow?"

"It vanished, but that may have been because Lord Elrond was quick to appear. He admonished your friends and me for straying so far from the troupe, then he escorted us back to the house and bade us not to leave the valley under any condition. I don't think I've ever seen him looking so afraid in a long time."

Once again Ariel felt the guilt gnaw at her like maggots to dead flesh. Now everyone in the valley was under house arrest, all because she was too pathetic to almost follow an enchanted voice off a two-storey staircase.

 _But if that is one of Sauron's little puppets, then obviously he's hoping to stir up trouble at least in Rivendell, if only to put his enemies in disarray. And by god it's working._

"I'm sure everything will sort itself out soon. I mean, with Gandalf and Elrond both working together" Ariel added putting a hand on his shoulder "I mean it's not like you're going to be banished for just wandering out of bounds-"

She stopped quickly as sorrow flashed over the young man's face at her words. With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand over his face and through his hair, grey eyes glimmering sadly.

"What…Wait-hang on? You are leaving? Why?" Ariel's eyes widened in shock.

"I told you before that I was taken in as a ward of Lord Elrond when my parents died." Estel looked at her grimly "Well…Lord Elrond has decided that now since I am almost a man, that I am to return to their people. It's alright," - he added when Ariel opened her mouth to speak – "I had a feeling this would happen eventually, after all I am only human, and I have longed for a long time to walk amongst my own kind. Hence why I was so elated when you and your company came to stay"

He smirked slightly at Ariel, who cursed herself as she felt the heat rise to her now very pink cheeks.

"So you're being sent to live with your parent's people?" she coughed, doing her best to keep her face as neutral as possible.

"Yes," Estel gulped looking at their hands which were still intertwined on the table top. "Only my parents…well…they're not quite who I thought they were"

"What do you mean?" Ariel's brow furrowed.

"Have you heard of Dunedain Rangers?" Estel asked, and she nodded slowly. "They are a race of men directly descended from the lines of Numenor…descendants of Elendil the tall and his men. My parents, well, my father, as it turns out, is a direct descendant of the house of Elendil…and thus so am I."

Ariel could feel her gut sink deeper and deeper into the chasm of nothingness as she stared at the young man before her.

 _Oh, god…please don't tell me…you've got to be kidding me…Please let this be some weird cosmic fluke…_

"My name is not Estel," he said, not noticing the paling of his listener's pallor as he let drop the final pin. "Tis Aragorn, son of Arathorn. The sixteenth chief of the Dunedain of the North, the heir to the throne of Arnor and Gondor."

Even though she knew of the stone that had been about to drop, Ariel still felt her gut sink in her body. She really did have the oddest luck in the world. Of all the humans she would befriend first, of course, it would be Aragorn.

It was odd seeing him so young and innocent like this, for in the books he had always come across as grim and serious. Indeed, it was only now not to be could see shades of the weather-worn Ranger in his face as he looked up at her anxiously.

"I take it you've heard of that name?" he muttered.

"A few times. Gandalf mentioned it to me when explaining the history of the Northern Kingdom of Arnor." Ariel gulped. God, she hated to lie to him so deliberately, but what choice did she have? She could hardly tell him he was a fictional character in a book, could she?

Not noticing her inner conflict, Estel, no, _Aragorn_ , snorted bitterly down to his knees.

"Of course, the wizard would know of this."

"But Estel-I-I mean Aragorn-"

"I just don't understand!" Aragorn slammed his empty palm down on the table angrily. "Why didn't Elrond tell me?! Why keep such a big secret from me?! I mean I knew I was of the Dunedain, but to be the heir of Gondor…and now I have to leave…it's just…argh!"

He growled with frustration as his face dropped to his hands.

"Hey," Ariel reached out to grip his fingers consolingly as she pulled them away from his anguished face. "Hey…look at me."

Aragorn looked up despondently into her face. Her smile was sad but gentle and comforting as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"It's going to be okay."

"You can't possibly know that" he murmured as he sat stock still in her arms.

"I do." She said firmly pulling away to hold him by the shoulders "Listen, I've not known you very long, but from what time we've shared I can tell you this. You're kind, smart, strong, a little bit reckless sometimes, but you always try to do the right thing no matter how hard it is, and that's…that's why I know, that whatever happens you're going to be okay."

She reached out and hugged him again, and this time he hesitantly returned the gesture. His rougher larger hands shook slightly as they pressed into her back, his face burying itself into the top of her head as a tear escaped him.

"Shh, it's alright…" Ariel hummed gently, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "You're going to be okay…you'll see."

"How do you manage it?" Aragorn mumbled into her hair "Being so far from home, not knowing if you'll see your loved ones again?"

"To be quite frank I'm not sure I do manage it sometimes" Ariel admitted with a small pout. "Homesickness is kinda like being stuck in the middle of the ocean. Sometimes the seas are calm, and you're sailing along just fine, the next the wave hits you and strikes you. Sometimes you keel over from the sheer force of it, and all you can do is try and push your boat back up with all you got and keep sailing no matter how hard it is."

"Tis said my people came from over the seas…" Aragorn's voice sounded slightly hoarse as he gulped down on the large lump in his throat. "I wonder if you are also descended from them, for you speak with great fondness for the ocean."

"Who knows, maybe I am. To be fair, I don't know much about where my parents came from." Ariel snorted and tried to pull away, only for Aragorn to hold her in place with his hand on the back of her head.

"Forgive me" he breathed "But I've not been held by another human since my mother passed on, and I barely remember much of her. It's so different to the embrace of an elf. They possess far greater strength than us and thus hold back."

"Well that's one thing you can look forward to when you go back to the other Dunedain" Ariel smirked as she tried to lighten the mood "I daresay many human girls wouldn't mind falling into your waiting arms"

Despite himself, Aragorn chuckled and loosened his grip to look at her in the eye.

"On the contrary, I am not too fond of physical affection from strangers. With you, however, I feel a kinship, such as I have not felt before. Not just because you are human. You are like a sister, not in blood perhaps but in bond, and I feel that our friendship will continue to strengthen as the year's pass"

Ariel could feel her cheeks all but burn like red-hot coals as she opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Tis Lindir my Lady. May I come in?" a smooth masculine voice called gently through.

"uh…wait just a moment Lindir" Ariel looked at Aragorn as he detached himself from her.

"It's alright. Go ahead"

"Are you sure?" she murmured as they both stood up.

"I'm sure" he nodded.

"Alright then." She patted his shoulder before walking over and opening the door.

"My Lady, the Lord Elrond and Gandalf the Grey are requesting your presence at the main house. They wish to speak with you in private. Estel" Lindir turned solemnly to Aragorn, not even surprised at the younger man's presence.

"You are to come with me; we still have much packing to do before you set out at dawn tomorrow."

"Of course, Lindir." Aragorn bobbed his head though he hesitated to step towards the door. Seeing the look on the boy's face, Lindir sighed softly.

"You may say your goodbyes before you leave if that is what you wish. I will meet you both downstairs when you are ready."

"Thank you old friend" Aragorn smiled gratefully at the elf who quietly shut the door.

"So this is it" Ariel huffed as she turned to face Aragorn "You're leaving"

"Yes…" Aragorn looked down at his boots. Despite being taller than her by about one head, he looked remarkably like a small child, scared and unsure even as she made to hug him one last time.

"Hey…you're going to be fine." She rubbed his back gently "And who knows, once my quest is over we might see one another again."

"I hope so." Aragorn muttered into her crown "maybe we can continue our lessons, I daresay you'll have plenty of time to practice on your travels."

"Sounds like a plan." Ariel smiled as she pulled away. "Stay safe Este-Aragorn" she corrected herself, though she regretted it at once as she caught sight of the stricken look on his face.

"It's alright." He assured her before she could open her mouth "Aragorn is my true name. I should start getting used to hearing it more often."

"Maybe, but just because your name changes, it doesn't mean you have to." Ariel patted his cheek clumsily as she tilted his head down to plant a small kiss on his brow.

"For luck" she smirked as he blinked down at her in surprise. "Trust me. You're going to need it out there."

"As will you." Aragorn returned the gesture, before murmuring into her crown "Thank you Ariel"

* * *

The walk to the main house was silent as Lindir led Ariel and Aragorn up the front steps. There stood Gandalf and Elrond. Both their faces, fair and aged, were grim as they watched the two younger teenagers stride up towards them.

Elrond indeed felt a stab of pity as he beheld the determined expressions in both their eyes. In twenty-four hours, the innocence and carelessness of youth had all but been ripped from the heir of Isildur and the young sorceress. Now they would both have to start facing the trials and tribulations of true adulthood. The elven lord could only hope they pulled through alright in the end.

"Master Gandalf, Ada-I mean Lord Elrond" Aragorn nodded his head respectfully as he made to pass them on his way up the stairs with Lindir. However, he paused at the top and glanced back at Ariel who forced a small grin onto her face.

"What are you looking at me for? Those bags aren't going to pack themselves by magic y'know."

Despite himself Aragorn grinned and spared her a small wave goodbye which she returned, her hand only dropping as soon as the door shut behind her friend.

"I take it the two of you have said your goodbyes then," Gandalf said, his gruff voice surprisingly gentle.

"Yeah. Yeah, we have" Ariel sighed heavily.

"Do not grieve my dear. I'm sure the two of you shall meet again once all is over." Gandalf's expression softened as he patted her shoulder consolingly. "Now come, there is much we need to discuss."

"Yes indeed." Elrond now turned to face Ariel, his expression grave as they strode to the side of the building towards a tall set of stairs.

"the last of our scouts have just returned from our eastern borders. The shadow that attacked you has all but vanished from all sight and knowledge, but the orcs that pursue your company are very much determined to follow your footsteps."

"Yeah…I figured" Ariel muttered, running a hand over her hair, and when both Elrond and Gandalf quirked their brows at her she sighed "Listen, I may not be that experienced with fighting orcs, but it doesn't take a genius to see that the ones that attacked us were just a small part of a much larger group."

"Indeed. One that seems to know of your plight to reach the lonely mountain" Elrond frowned hard at Gandalf who rolled his eyes.

It seemed to Ariel as if this had been an argument that had been going on for a long time. Thus it peeved her a little when the two older men started to speak in soft elvish.

"[Alike and yet unlike]" Elrond glowered at Gandalf irritably "[How could I have not seen it before?]"

"[I only started putting together the pieces myself shortly after we met Radagast]" Gandalf muttered. "[But surely now you see why such a mission is necessary?]"

"[Indeed, though I wish you had informed me earlier when you first found her. She could've been delivered here safely and much earlier where she could've been trained and taught her craft. Now you tell me you are going to drag this poor child halfway across the world when she has little to no experience with danger?]"

Gandalf shook his head before switching abruptly to English again "Of course I was going to tell you. I was waiting for this very chance. And really, I think you can trust that I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?" Elrond responded with narrowed eyes, glancing back at Ariel who was trailing behind them on the stairs at a respectable distance, trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation. "That dragon has slept for sixty years. What will happen if your plan should fail, if you wake that beast?"

"What if we succeed?" Gandalf countered swiftly "If the dwarves take back the mountain our defences in the east will be strengthened."

"It is a dangerous move, Gandalf." Elrond shook his head.

"It is also dangerous to do nothing!" Gandalf exclaimed in exasperation. "Oh, come, the throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright. What is it you fear?"

Ariel watched curiously as she saw a dark look flash over Elrond's face. When he spoke next, his voice was low and just as grim.

"Have you forgotten? A strain of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather lost his mind. His father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

He looked towards Ariel who blinked as she realised that he was addressing her. She didn't know whether to feel flattered that he sought her opinion on such an important matter or terrified of being put under the spotlight.

"Um…" She gripped her staff tighter in her hand as Gandalf also looked at her curiously. "I don't know about swear it won't happen, I mean Thorin does obsess a bit about the mountain…b-but I also don't think he would let himself fall that easily. He's a bit of a stubborn ass like that" She added, more to herself though both men heard her.

Elrond scowled as he caught sight of Gandalf's small smug smirk. Obviously, this wasn't the answer either had expected. Nonetheless, Elrond was persistent with his argument.

"That may be, but Gandalf, these decisions do not rest with us alone. It is not up to you or me to redraw the map of Middle-Earth."

"With or without our help, these Dwarves will march on the mountain. They are determined to reclaim their homeland. I do not believe Thorin Oakenshield feels he is answerable to anyone. Nor, for that matter am I." Gandalf sighed doggedly before glancing at Ariel "Nor is young Ariel."

"It is not me you both must answer to" Elrond smirked as they finally approached the top of the steps where a flat open space set between a circle of stone pillars girdled in ivy.

It was a beautiful place, overlooking the full valley from on high, illuminated by lamps that lit the space with a gentle white light, revealing a large table set with five chairs at the centre of the space.

But Ariel did not care much for the beauty of the place.

There, standing in the middle of a grand archway on a slightly elevated platform, shining in the light of the bright waxing crescent moon above was a woman. She was tall and fair, wearing a dress of a shimmering white, with long wavy blonde hair that seemed to be a mixture of gold and silver light. Her face, while her face was unlined and forever youthful, her eyes seemed to swirl with ancient memories. She stood proud and tall over all the men present, elf and wizard alike.

"Lady Galadriel" Gandalf was also surprised by the woman's appearance, though not as startled as his apprentice who had gone so pale it was a miracle she didn't faint right there and then.

 _Oh my god…oh my god! It's Galadriel! I'm meeting freaking Galadriel! And if she's here, then that must mean-_

Ariel quickly glanced back at the stone table but was suddenly interrupted when Galadriel addressed Gandalf in Elvish.

"Mithrandir [It has been a long time]"

"[Age may have changed me, but not so the Lady of Lorien]" Gandalf responded in kind with a bow, giving a sharp glance at Ariel who blinked as she was suddenly startled out of her stupor.

She gave a short curtsy; her face turned down to her shoes as she felt her cheeks burn red hot with embarrassment. Trust her to start gaping like a fish at this moment.

 _I must look like such an idiot!_

Ariel huffed in her head, as she looked down at her plain green dress and scuffed brown travel boots. Never had she felt so dull and insignificant.

Not noticing his apprentice's discomfort, Gandalf smiled up at the Lady of Light warmly.

"I had no idea Lord Elrond had sent for you," he said in English.

"he didn't" A new voice, deep and aged spoke into the night.

Ariel stiffened as she wheeled around to face the figure that had just appeared in the shadows to her right. It was an old man, garbed all in white robes and holding a black staff. He had long white hair and dark bushy eyebrows and beard and slightly sinister stern face.

"Saruman" Gandalf sighed with relief, though Ariel found herself feeling more apprehensive with each passing moment as the White Wizard stared coldly at her with suspicious eyes.

"You've been busy of late, my friend." he rumbled in his deep voice "So…This is the young child Nuldien sent across the sea."

His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that Ariel did not like at all. He somewhat reminded her of one of her least favourite teachers at school, professional but cold and calculating and condescending.

She gripped her staff tightly in her hands, the green stone glimmering faintly in the dark.

Seeing her trepidation, Gandalf stepped forwards putting a firm hand on her shoulder. "Yes, indeed she is. Ariel, allow me to introduce the head of our order, Saruman the White. Saruman, this is Ariel the Green."

"It's an honour to meet you, sir. You as well Lady Galadriel" Ariel gulped as she bobbed her head respectfully to Galadriel who had descended back down from her platform to come level with them.

"The honour is ours young one. It is not every day one gets to meet a young fledgeling Istar. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" her eye's twinkled as she approached Ariel, her expression softening as she saw the younger girl look towards her shoes.

"Seventeen Mam. I will be eighteen in a couple of months" Ariel gulped, though she could already feel her nerves abate somewhat as she investigated the elven lady's face. Mysterious and powerful though she may have been, she had a comforting air about her even as she asked:

"And your family?"

"They're back home over the sea, I'm the only one here" Ariel glanced back down to her feet only to have it raised by a gentle pale hand.

"Come," Galadriel smiled kindly as she steered Ariel towards the table "You must tell us your story. All of it from the beginning"

And so Ariel told them about herself, about her parents and her family, though she kept the information about her homeworld as brief as she could to avoid any confusion or probing questions about it. She told them of her brother, how the two of them had been working at the library, and how the hag had cursed him, how Nuldien had come to her and sent her to the shores of the Grey Havens with a magic spell.

It was then she stopped to take a break, noticing that Gandalf and Saruman had joined her and Galadriel at the Council table while Elrond stood behind them leaning against a pillar.

All three men were looking pensively at her, frowning as they tried to digest her words.

"This hag that cursed your brother…" Elrond murmured stroking his chin. "What did she look like?"

"Uh…umm…She was about my height but she was hunched over. She wore all black, which now I think about it was really weird because it was a pretty hot day and-" she paused as Saruman narrowed his eyes sternly at her. "-And her face it was…well…it was kinda like looking at a vulture. She had this wrinkled skin and this big beaky nose, she had thin white wispy hair…and her hands….they were…they were like claws and one of them had…a mark…"

She stopped quickly to gulp down the lump that had formed in her throat. She could still feel it now, the burning hand on fire. The strange brand on an aged palm.

"A mark?" Saruman scoffed softly "And pray to tell what sort of mark was this?"

"A…a red eye. It-it was on her left palm."

There was a mind-numbing silence as all the White council stared at her. Not for the first time Ariel wished she could melt into her chair and disappear. Now she'd dropped the pin; there was no going back.

She saw Saruman, Gandalf and Elrond exchange a glance.

"Do you think it could be…" Elrond started, and Saruman nodded.

"Balcheth" the white wizard rolled his eyes "of course that miserable crone would be behind such an attack. Please, child, continue"

"But wait-who is she? What-"

"The rest of your story young lady. Now" Saruman cut across her irritably.

Ariel scowled but reluctantly acquiesced to his request. Maybe it was because she knew what he would become, but she thought something was off about the way Saruman was looking at her.

 _Do not fret young one; all shall be explained to you in time. The White Wizard often has very little patience in such strange matters as yours._

Galadriel's voice suddenly whispered inside her head and Ariel almost jumped in alarm. Then again she wondered why she was so surprised. She knew Galadriel had these powers, of course, she was going to use them to suss out the current situation.

Though that didn't mean Ariel was at all prepared for them either.

Even so, she calmly continued her story, telling the council how she was found on the beach, how Gandalf had taken her under his wing. She told them of her trip to the Shire and her travels with the dwarves and how Aragorn and Elrond had saved her from the wargs and brought her to Rivendell.

By the time she had finished telling of her incident with the shadow from the night before, Galadriel had stood up from her seat and was pacing around the table deep in thought.

"These are strange events" Saruman stroked his beard thoughtfully, but Ariel could see the disdain with which he looked at her. "especially strange that one so young should be sent across the sea because of a hag's mere meddling with mortal affairs."

"Mere meddling?" Ariel felt her gut heat up like a furnace of anger "My brother was almost killed"

"A tragic moment for you and your family I am sure. And this shadow? All this fuss for one near accident? Have you not considered Child that you might have been sleepwalking?" Saruman snorted.

"Saruman" Elrond started only to be steamrolled over by the young human girl.

"Sleepwalking?" Ariel rolled her eyes "Oh yes why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, maybe because I was wide awake when this happened!"

Behind her back, Galadriel paused mid-stride, a small amused smirk creeping up her lips as she glanced down at Gandalf who was sighing in exasperation.

Of all the time his apprentice had to rear her hot head it had to be now. Though the more he thought about it, he really couldn't blame her.

Saruman wasn't exactly known to be the friendliest of wizards. He especially was most suspicious of magic wielders outside of this council and the other Istar of Middle Earth. Though that may have been because of his pride. Wise lore master he might have been, but like all creatures that dwelled upon this land, he was not without vice nor fault.

And so it did not surprise Gandalf in the slightest when the White Wizard's nostril's flared angrily.

"Impudent child." He scoffed turning to Gandalf, "I would've thought since you had designated yourself as her teacher you would've taught her some manners."

"Tis true Ariel is a little rough around the edges." Gandalf muttered sparing Ariel a glance to silence her before she could retort "However, given the circumstances surrounding her presence here it might do you well to consider her story without prejudice. She might not yet have much in the way of experience but I trust her word and judgement, and so did Nuldien, and she always had an eye for these sorts of things."

Saruman straightened up stiffly eyes flashing, but he stayed his anger quickly as he caught sight of Galadriel's warning look behind the young woman's back.

 _So, the Lady has taken a shine to this urchin? Why am I not surprised?_

With a cough, he schooled himself back together and forced a benign smile as he addressed Ariel again.

"Forgive me for my hastiness young one." he tried to say kindly, but Ariel could see the sharp gleam in his dark eyes "I must confess it has been a long time since I've heard a tale so strange. Especially one concerning our old friend Nuldien."

"I take it she hasn't been around for a while?" Ariel sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"Not for a couple of centuries" Elrond answered, his posture relaxing now that confrontation had been avoided. "Though there were rumours that she appeared briefly before King Thror in the days before the dragon attacked the lonely mountain. Only she disappeared before any of us could make contact."

"Oh…" Ariel deflated. Well, there went her one chance at finding out more about the woman that sent her.

Sensing her disappointment Galadriel was quick to change the topic as she addressed Ariel again.

"Your powers grant you control over nature" it wasn't a question, yet Ariel felt compelled to nod and answer.

"Yeah…yeah they do."

"To what extent?"

"I'm not sure" Ariel gulped her grip tightening on the wood of her staff. "I mean…I've always had a green thumb since I was small. I've never found a plant I couldn't look after. And I've usually been pretty good with most animals…But these powers I have now…I've never…" her voice fell away as she looked down into her hand

"I see" Galadriel looked thoughtfully at the young girl "And what of the rest of your family? Have you ever seen them wield any magic before?"

Ariel shook her head. "No, never. Why? Is there someone else like me?"

"Radagast, though he is rather flighty and scatterbrained" Saruman added under his breath.

"Nonetheless he is wise in his own way." Gandalf countered swiftly. "and he is a valuable well of knowledge as far as the animals of this world are concerned"

"Yeah, I saw" Ariel snorted only to cough quickly as Gandalf spared her a small disapproving look.

 _Right gotta be on my best behaviour._

She heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Saruman looking at her sharply again.

"That shadow that attacked you, can you describe it in more detail"

"Maybe…I'm not sure…I didn't really _see_ it per se. I mean I did see a shadow but it wasn't anything y'know, concrete and…" Ariel trailed off, gulping as she felt all eyes turn to assess her shrewdly.

"Okay…uh…At first, I couldn't see it. I could only hear it. It sounded like…like my brother."

"I see and later on when you could see it?" Elrond probed.

Ariel paused, biting her lip anxiously as she remembered the fiery red eye that had filled her dreams of late.

"Like I said before…just a shadow. Kinda like smoke" she mumbled not meeting any of their eyes. Saruman opened his mouth to say something but quickly stopped as Galadriel once again silenced him with a look.

"You have done well to have made it this far young one." The Lady of Light smiled gently at the younger woman before addressing the rest of the council "Though perhaps you might answer one more question."

"Sure? What is it?" Ariel blinked.

"Your parents, and your brother…are they all human?"

"Uh…yes…at least I think so?" Ariel looked around at the rest of the council.

"Hmm…" Galadriel frowned as her eyes scanned Ariel's face up and down, drinking in each of her features. The red-brown locks, the hazel eyes that seemed more green than brown in the light of the moon, much like the green glow from within her soul.

Galadriel had not felt such raw untapped power since the days of her own youth. It was very different from Gandalf's inner fire and the burning power within Saruman's form that she could feel nor was it like the light of the Eldar that glowed within herself or Elrond. It was like feeling the life force of a young tree, strong and yet subtle, fresh and yet supported by centuries of the earth's energy.

She was sure Gandalf, Elrond and Saruman could sense it. After all the girl wasn't really doing anything to hide her power.

The Lady of Light's thoughts were interrupted when Ariel shivered and fought desperately to stifle a yawn, failing miserably as she tried her best to hide it behind her hand.

"Tis getting late." Galadriel glanced at the Moon in the sky which was already beginning to dip just below its peak before looking back at Ariel. "And you should get your rest. You have been through a lot."

"But what about the council?" Ariel frowned.

"It shall continue, for we have much to discuss." Saruman snorted waspishly.

Ariel rolled her eyes.

 _Oh great, so now I'm getting turfed out while the "grown up's" have their chat._

Seeing her temper beginning to flare again, Gandalf smirked and quickly pulled her to her feet.

"Do not worry; you will be free to re-join us once you have rested."

Ariel opened her mouth to retort only to yawn as another wave of tiredness hit her again. Just what was with her? Why was she so tired suddenly?

It was only when Lindir arrived to escort her away from the meeting, and she turned to glance one last time at the council did she see why.

Thereupon Galadriel's hand, hidden in the folds of her dress, something was glimmering faintly.

Something that looked like a silver ring...

But then the glimmer was gone as Lindir took her arm and led her down the stairs and away from the council.

Once the young girl was out of sight, Saruman rounded on Gandalf with narrowed eyes.

"It seems you have kept a great deal from us Old friend!"

"I'm not quite sure what you mean Saruman" Gandalf replied carefully, though Elrond could see the Grey Wizard stiffen a little as the White Wizard scoffed.

"Oh but don't you?" he stood to his feet and looked at the rest of the council. "barely a month or two since you started sniffing your nose into this dwarf business, and a young human girl with ancient magic suddenly springs into your lap? And you expect us to not be suspicious of her presence?"

"I must agree with Saruman." Elrond nodded, though his tones were far gentler and steadier than the old wizard. "It is unheard of that a human could ever possess the powers of one of your order unless Nuldien found a way to somehow transfer her powers across to another being."

"A preposterous notion" Saruman scoffed irritably "We might be able to grant a small portion of our power temporarily to another being, but even then their abilities are severely limited, especially if they are human like this woman-no! this child."

"Unless of course…she was not completely human, and she did not know it." Galadriel's voice was soft and careful as she glanced at Gandalf "I take it you have not yet told her about your suspicions then?"

"No, I haven't told Ariel anything." Gandalf fiddled with the hem of his grey sleeve "Of course I plan to eventually when I have more proof that my theory is correct. Her situation is a tricky one, and should word get out before we have the full truth the consequences could be catastrophic."

"You make it sound like you're expecting a great and powerful force of evil itself to descend down upon us once it finds her." Saruman leaned back in his chair.

"It already has, Saruman." Gandalf glared up waspishly at his colleague. "That shadow of her brother was no parlour trick. There are dark forces at work here, and this child has a part to play"

"You might think she is an agent for the darkness?" Elrond quirked a brow. "She did not feel as such to me."

"Neither to me," Galadriel said softly. "No. Young Ariel is no agent of Sauron or Morgoth. If anything it is quite the reverse. That which is dark always lusts for the energy of something warm and bright to feed upon."

"the Lady is right" Elrond nodded thoughtfully his eyes hardening a little "it has been a long time since such a young force of nature walked this earth. And your apprentice has yet to learn to harness and control her strength. Many a dark creature will be naturally drawn to her essence. One can only hope you can teach her to contain her power before something else tries to take it for its own."

* * *

Ariel"

"hmm"

"Ariel wake up."

Her brow furrowed as she opened her eyes to see the blurred outline of a dark-haired person as he shook her shoulder.

"Kili?" Ariel grunted as she sleepily sat up. "Wha? What happened?"

"We're leaving" came a voice from somewhere behind. Ariel turned quickly and saw to her surprise Thorin standing in the doorway with his arms folded and his face set.

"Leaving?" Ariel looked out her window. It was barely tinted grey as the dawn just about peeped in over the horizon.

"But why I thought the plan was that we were going to wait for a couple of days till Gandalf asked Lord-"

"Plans change" Thorin grunted. "Elrond will never condone this quest and Durin's day is almost upon us which is why we must leave as soon as may be."

" _We_ must leave?" Ariel narrowed her eyes at him, and the dwarf prince bristled.

"If you wish to remain then I will not stop you." but then quietly added "nor will I blame you or fault you for wanting to return home…especially after what I have said…and after what that shadow tried to do to you."

Ariel stared at him in surprise. Was he, the great Thorin "jackass" Oakenshield…trying to…to apologise to her?

"Thorin…" Ariel gulped running a hand through her hair. Thorin looked up at her expectantly.

"Can you please leave I need to get changed?"

Thorin blinked for a moment. Ariel rolled her eyes.

"Well I won't be able to travel in my nightclothes now will I?"

Thorin's eyebrows rose in surprise, though it was short lived as he gave a small nod in acceptance.

"Of course. We will be on the ground floor when you finish. If you are late we'll leave without you" he added in his usual irritable gruff grumble before leaving the door.

 _Thorin leaving me without an argument? Oh god, what is this world coming to?_

Ariel shook her head before quickly turning to look at Kili, who had been watching the exchange in silent shock.

"You too Kili" she waggled a finger towards the door. "Or do I have to slap you too?"

She had meant the comment to be playful however she was surprised to see the young dwarf flush a little before fleeing off after his uncle, shutting the door tight behind him.

Quickly as she could in the dim light she found her travelling clothes which had been mended expertly by the elves.

Her travel dress that had been torn and dirtied was now as neat and as green as the day it had first been given to her as had her dark green cloak, corset and arm braces. However, there were a couple of small differences. For one thing, the boots were an entirely new pair, thin, lightweight and well fitted, though still comfortable. They were just like the shoes she'd seen the sentinels of Rivendell wear as was the new sword which had been sheathed in a dark green scabbard on a sturdy brown leather belt. Ariel marvelled for a moment at the details in bronze of the hilt and guard which had been shaped to resemble a great leafless tree branching outwards with the blade sticking out the top like a silver thorn.

 _The sun's about to rise_

Ariel bit her lip as she secured her sword once more on her hip before adjusting the hood of her cloak over her head before picking up her staff.

She was becoming used to having the stick around in her hand. Sometimes she wondered at how natural it felt to wield it. Almost as if her hand had been made to hold it like that.

When she came down, she found the company all packed and waiting for her silent but fidgeting. Even Bilbo was tapping his large fuzzy hobbit foot softly against the ground; a nervous tick he always got when he was anxious.

She was just about to ask him about what was wrong when Balin suddenly stepped forward to greet her.

"Good morning lass. How are you feeling?"

"Oh…" Ariel gulped. "I'm fine. How are all of you?"

"Oh good now that we've all been properly fed and rested." Bofur spoke up with a small grin "Bombur has put on the weight he'd lost."

Bombur gave her a tiny wave and a smile, which Ariel returned doing her best to look as inconspicuous as possible. She'd caused enough trouble already on this quest; she didn't want to be the source of any more problems.

As if guessing her discomfort, Thorin was quick to hiss:

"Right are we ready to leave now?"

After many small excitable choruses of "yes" and "of course" they all snuck out in pairs or threes out the doors of their buildings.

Ariel did her best to stay at the back of the pack, trying to pair herself off with Bombur who was usually emotionally oblivious to others save when they were hungry. However, when she made to try and walk out behind the dwarf, she felt two pairs of hands grab at her arms and steer her up.

It was both Fili and Kili and their faces were grim as they hissed.

"Thorin has told us to stick close to you," Fili answered her before she could even open her mouth.

"Ordered more like" Kili muttered, "both of Bilbo and us if we're not around."

"And Dwalin and Balin" Fili added, "Thorin told them but not anyone else about the man we saw at the river."

"Thank goodness" Ariel sighed. At least the two older dwarves knew how to keep a level head when it came to dangerous situations.

She bit her lip as she suddenly registered Thorin's name in Fili's sentence.

"Did Thorin or either of you find anything last night when he went looking?"

"We don't know. We only saw that strange man, and he was quick to vanish as soon as Lord Elrond found us. As for uncle, well, if he has seen anything, he's not told us." Kili shrugged though he looked worried as he glanced up towards the head of the company where Thorin was counting off their party as they snuck out across a courtyard.

Ariel ducked her head slightly as she and the two young dwarves made to dash across the empty clearing.

As they darted over, her mind was filled suddenly with the giggles and soft snickering's of naughty children, a small splash of water accompanied by a loud angry and yet amusing growl.

Despite her tiredness, Ariel smiled widely.

"What is it?" Fili asked curiously as they made their way behind Bifur and Bofur to hide under a set of stairs.

"It's just…just" Ariel snorted into her hand "I've not snuck around like this since I was a kid. The last time I had to was when we were pranking Kirovski at school."

"Kirov-what?" Kili quirked a confused brow at her. The human names of Ariel's home always confused him greatly.

"He was my school bully" Ariel explained her smile widening as the memory played over much clearer over her mind's eye "And he was the most horrid boy you'd ever meet. Used to stick gum in my hair and then tug on it while he called me names like Air-head."

"What did you do to him?" Kili snorted in amusement as they crept around a statue of an elvish sentinel.

"Who said I did anything to him?" Ariel mock pouted in innocence only for Fili to raise a brow at her. "Ok, ok my friends and I may have… _accidentally_ poured a bucket of paint over his head."

"Accidentally?" Fili snorted as Kili began to snigger under his breath.

"Oh yes," Ariel giggled. "We had an art class, and the teacher told us to clean out the last bit of pink paint from the paint tins by pouring it out the window. Of course, she didn't specify _which_ window we had to pour out of so…"

Both dwarfs both doubled over with laughter as they stopped just under a tree. They were back at the courtyard before the bridge from which they'd first entered Rivendell all those days ago.

Thorin looked back and rolled his eyes as he saw both his nephews and Ariel giggling like naughty children about to pull a prank.

"Will the three of you hurry up?!" he snapped quietly as the three of them still sniggering ran towards the bridge.

"Whoa, careful" Kili grabbed Ariel's wrist as she stumbled a little on the narrow stretch of stone.

Ariel gulped as she looked down. The light of dawn was barely peeping over the horizon now, and the ground beneath her was still very much dark, so much so that it was difficult for her to see the bridge or the large drop beneath it to the roaring rapids far below.

She was grateful the two brothers held onto her hands as they walked across, guiding her nimbly but safely to the other side. Dwarves while not as sharp as Elves had keener eyes for the dark than her normal human ones.

Once she felt the rough earth under her feet, she sighed suddenly feeling a rush of energy as the grass beneath her glowed slightly.

Both Fili and Kili jumped in alarm, but a second later, Ariel opened her eyes with a huge sigh.

"Wow… that was nice" she exhaled with a long puff and as she spoke both dwarves thought they saw her eyes flash green for a moment before returning to their hazel shade.

"Uh…is everything ok with you three?" Bilbo's voice wafted as he stood some way away from them.

"Oh yes we're fine Bilbo" Ariel smiled.

Bilbo smiled back though he was unsure. He had been with Bofur in the pair before the three youngest members had crossed and was waiting for Bombur and his partner to get up the large rocky stairs that climbed high to the top of the valley so that he could follow.

When he saw Ariel's eyes glow green he had stood rooted to the spot. During that moment it seemed as if she were another person, no another being altogether. She had looked for a moment like a tree had been carved into the shape of a person and was breathing after long years of sleep.

But Ariel was not a living tree. She was a living person.

 _I only see these things because I'm sleep deprived_

"Be on your guard. We're about to step over the Edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths lead on. Master Baggins I suggest you keep up."

"What?" Bilbo blinked suddenly realising that he had stopped in his tracks and was looking blankly back at the valley of Rivendell veiled in the light of the rising sun.

He quickly turned to see Thorin standing still as the rest of the company moved past him, counting them off and pulling up the stragglers. When Bilbo made to step towards him, he spared the hobbit a small irritable roll of the eyes before trudging off to follow Nori.

The Hobbit rubbed his eyes as he made to follow Bifur's trail as the rough dwarf stepped before him grumbling softly in his native tongue.

Bilbo still couldn't believe they were going to sneak out of Rivendell without Gandalf to guide them. It felt so wrong like they were thieves stealing out of the back door.

He just hoped the Wizard wouldn't take long to catch up with them.

Meanwhile, Ariel turned around to face the valley. Somewhere amongst those beautiful houses, a young human man was preparing to start a new life amongst his people: a young man with a great destiny, one of nine that would change the whole world as they knew it.

She only hoped she'd live long enough to see him grow into that role.

"Good Luck Aragorn." She murmured under her breath "I really hope you make it."

* * *

A woman with flowing hair of glistening gold and eyes that were as blue, and as the clear waters of untouched, untainted streams looked over the sunrise as it bathed the Valley of Imladris in the morning light.

But her mind was not on the dawn. Her gaze instead was set upon the high wall of the valley, upon the side of which a tiny green light glimmered in and out of focus as it wove behind boulders and vegetation that grew on the rocky cliff face.

The lady frowned as she focused her mind upon the glow.

No matter how much she dwelled upon the source, she could not shake off the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She turned her head towards the flat round courtyard she was standing before to see two elderly men both in long robes. One was dressed in grey the other in white, arguing in soft voices. A few feet away a tall dark and grim elf lord was conversing in rapid elvish with a servant of his house before quickly following them down a set of stairs.

Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood of Lothlorien eyed the grey-clad old man as he tried to speak calmly to his fellow.

"Saruman, I understand that we do not want to believe the enemy has returned, but surely these incidents are not coincidental."

"Incidents?" Saruman the white narrowed his dark eyes upon Gandalf with obvious impatience "Gandalf we all know that the humans are wary about magic in any form. They see a small shadow move of its own accord, and they believe it to be witchcraft when in fact it is merely a light trick. And as for Orcs and Trolls, they are foul creatures that will move at will and have no care for the borders they cross."

"Saruman these were no ordinary Orcs we met on our road!" Gandalf hissed "these were an organised company, a scouting party, not mere hunters looking for food-"

"Enough old Friend" Saruman sighed heavily "I am weary. We have talked long into the night, and even the wise need their rest."

And with that, the old Istari walked away leaving behind his frustrated colleague.

"Wise need their rest. Hmph" Gandalf huffed as the hem of Saruman's white robes whipped out of sight down the stairs "More like he cannot handle the truth."

"You are worried."

Gandalf looked up at Galadriel who was assessing him, not with shrewd eyes but with concerned ones.

"Yes I am" he murmured as he made to walk up to her vantage point. When he was level with her, she spoke once more, this time more quietly.

"Because of the power the child has within."

"She did not ask to be sent here in the first place" Gandalf looked at the cliff wall where he knew the company of Thorin had passed over.

"No she didn't" Galadriel nodded in agreement. "but perhaps that is for the best. I have always found that those who are best suited to power are those who do not seek it. However those kinds of people are few and far between, and great power always does attract those of great greed."

At this, the grey wizard looked up at the tall, fair elven lady before him. However, her gaze was not hard nor disappointed. It was merely concerned.

"You will follow them."

"yes," Gandalf nodded.

"You are right to help Thorin Oakenshield. But I fear this quest has set in motion forces we do not yet understand. The riddle of the Morgul blade and the green stone must be answered. Something moves in the shadows unseen, hidden from our sight, it will not show itself. Not yet. But every day it grows in strength and seeks new power. You must be careful."

At this Gandalf's face paled but even as he made to stride away, Galadriel called after him.

"Mithrandir. Why the Halfling?"

Gandalf turned around his eyes softening with thought.

"I do not know" he admitted quietly "Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold people in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk. Simple acts of kindness and love…"

And now the old wizard smiled to himself sadly.

"Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid…and he gives me courage."

Galadriel's face softened as she silently glided towards him and took his wrinkled hands in her smooth, unblemished ones.

"Do not be afraid, Mithrandir." She spoke softly. "You are not alone. [If you should ever need my help, I will come]"

* * *

 **And there we have it, the eighth chapter is finally up after a long hiatus. (just been waiting for time and inspiration to come to me to write)**

 **So Ariel and Aragorn are both parting ways as dear friends. Will they meet in the future, will something happen, that we'll have to find out a lot later. When i first introduced Aragorn into the story a few chapters ago, I was only going to put him in as a cameo, but then it kinda snowballed into a brief friendship/puppy love kinda thing. I figure there's not really much time for any relationship past friendship to really develop between the two (especially seeing as Aragorn hasn't met Arwen yet).**

 **As for the white council, It was painfully obvious to me that Ariel was going to butt heads with Saruman from the start. He's prideful and she's stubborn, it was inevitable. I'm not sure about Galadriel's intentions, for, on the one hand, she seems motherly to Ariel's face, while she is innately curious as to her true purpose. Elrond still is worried about her because she's young like Aragorn and he's not sure if she's ready to face the world yet. One thing, of course, they all agree on is that there's more to Ariel than meets the eye, though whether that's a good or bad thing is yet to be revealed.**

 **Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review if you want to see more.**

 **And on that note,** **Happy holidays and** **a happy new year!**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	9. Down, Down, Down in Goblin Town

**Chapter 9: Down, Down, Down in Goblin Town**

Ariel Brooks had been to a fair number of loud concerts in her life, but nothing could have prepared her ears for the claps of thunder as rain pelted down from on high over the slopes of the Misty Mountains.

She shivered as she tried her best to sidle carefully along the edge of a thin path of stone, keeping her hand flat to the rocky wall beside her as her anchor against the slippery ground.

 _KABOOM!_

Lightning crashed on a mountain across from them, the light so bright the night was as bright as day for a split moment.

"This is getting ridiculous" she mumbled before bellowing out at the top of her lungs to be heard over the howling wind to the front of the line "Thorin! THORIN! This rain is not going to stop any time soon! We can't keep going on like this!"

"We don't stop until nightfall" Thorin roared back at her with his usual eye roll.

"The sky is so dark already! How will we even know if it's night or not?!" Kili grumbled beside Fili as they followed right behind Ariel who flinched as five seconds later the thunder rolled in again, growling like the giant rumbles of a beast in the dark clouds.

"Agh!"

"Bilbo!" she squeaked in terror as the poor hobbit in front of her slipped on a smooth and wet rock, almost toppling over the edge of the cliff. Thankfully however he was caught and pulled back by Dwalin and Bofur and Oin, though they too almost slipped off in the process.

"THORIN!" Dwalin shouted "The lass is right, it's too dangerous for any of us to walk any further. We need to find shelter!"

Thorin looked back ready to retort as usual to the discontent with his plans; however upon seeing the desperate and hangdog expressions on the faces of his soaked company he nodded.

There were immense groans of relief…though it was not to last for long.

"LOOK OUT" Dwalin yelled as suddenly out of nowhere a giant slab of the mountain across from them was torn out of the hard rock and tossed in their direction by a gigantic stone hand.

Within moments the great rock had splintered and was falling in massive pieces, the smallest of which was roughly about the size of a horse each!

Ariel's scream mingled with that of the others as they all shrunk under the shelter of the wall of the cliff face.

"This is no thunderstorm" Balin cried out pointing out into the distance "It's a thunder battle LOOK!"

And even as he spoke a great figure rose up from the side of one of the mountains. Ariel gaped open-mouthed in both awe and fear as it rose to tower high into the air. It was so humongous that it was almost as high as the mountain itself.

"Well bless me" Bofur gasped "The legends are true. Giants! Stone Giants!

With a bellow that shook the earth beneath their feet, the great Stone Giant grabbed another significant chunk out of the side of a mountain in the range and threw it hard over their heads.

Ariel turned quickly as the shadow of the projectile passed over them only to see another tremendous giant spin as its jaw was clocked hard, bits of rock flying off as it splintered upon impact.

"Take cover you fool!" Thorin was yelling, and Ariel wasted no time in grabbing hold of Bilbo's hand and tugging him back to stand as close as he could to the rocky wall as it began to crumble away.

There was a loud gasp from beside her Ariel looked up to see Kili's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he looked down at her feet.

"Kili-" but even as she looked down, she felt her heart sink like a stone. There right in-between her legs was a massive crack in the rock.

"Oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god" she bleated her breath heaving with panic as with every millisecond passing the crack in the rock widened.

"Here take my hand!" Kili reached out to grab her, but soon she was dangling over the edge, her arms too far away from him to reach. She stumbled as the earth shuddered and suddenly felt her feet hit the air.

"GOTCHA!"

Ariel felt an arm grab her by the scruff of her cloak and tug her back onto the rock behind just before the place where she had once stood fell away.

She held on tight as Fili braced her hard with his full arm against the cliff wall as the entire shelf began to move.

Ariel looked up and almost wet herself at the sight that greeted her. A stone giant, as great as the two that they had just seen was creakily getting to his feet as if he were an old boxer being tagged into another fight in the ring…and all fourteen of them were standing right on his knees.

She shut her eyes and prayed for her life as the Stone Giants began another bout, the knees jerking about as the large creatures crashed into each other like angry bulls.

Ariel heard Fili yell out to her but didn't understand the words as she felt them begin to fall forwards.

 _Oh no. This is it._

She whimpered to herself, feeling tears spring over her eyes

 _I'm going to die; there's no way I can survive this._

She gripped the dwarf's arm for dear life as she heard a great roar of someone from far off as they crashed into the mountainside.

Then suddenly everything was pitch black and silent.

* * *

"NOOO!" Thorin bellowed in horror as he saw the great stone giant's knee crash headlong into the cliff.

His nephew was one of those few that had just crashed and if he even so much as let a scratch of harm come to them-

His heart was hammering against his ribs, he dashed forward, not caring for the wet or his other friends behind him.

 _No, let them be alright! Let them be alright!_

He rounded a corner and sighed with relief as he caught sight of six dwarves all grunting and groaning in pain.

However, when Bofur came up to check the bodies, he began to panic.

"Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?"

And then another horrified yell this time from Kili as he helped his brother up.

"Where's Ariel?"

Thorin quickly whipped his head around and to his dismay found that both his nephew and his comrade were both right. Neither the Hobbit nor the girl was anywhere on the shelf.

The dwarf prince felt his heart sink like stones in deep water as he heard the small desperate cries from somewhere below.

"Mahal help us!" Ori cried out as he looked down at his feet. There was Bilbo his eyes wide with terror as he gripped onto the edge of the cliff.

But even as the dwarf darted down to grab his hand, the hobbit slipped with a cry.

Thorin dashed over quickly assessing the cliff wall, even in his panic. There was a small but sturdy rock that jutted out just at Bilbo's level.

Without so much as a second thought, the dwarf prince hopped down onto the small rock and grabbed Bilbo by the scruff of his jacket, up into the dwarves arms.

"Phew! I thought we nearly lost our burglar" Dwalin puffed.

"He's been lost ever since he left home" Thorin growled as he saw the hobbits furry feet finally gain enough grip above him. "He should never have come."

"No-wait THORIN!" Bilbo yelled as he was brought back up to stand. "Ariel's still down there she's-….oh no…"

Bilbo felt a lump form in his throat and clapped a hand over his mouth.

There were several gasps and whispers from above.

Thorin's eyes widened as he looked down.

There down far below but still visible to their eyes a girl with dark red hair and covered in green, was lying on a flat shelf of rock. Her eyes were shut, and her face was pale and unkempt as the rain kept pelting down upon her, swamping her body in muddy, mossy slime.

"… Lass…" Balin shut his eyes just as Ori began to blubber beside him.

Even from the height at which they stood above her, they could tell she was not moving one inch.

Thorin's eyes darted around trying to see if he could find a foothold to climb down on, but even as he did his head knew it was no use. No one, not even a dwarf could've survived a fall that high. It would take a miracle for Ariel to even be grasping at the brink of death now.

There were several loud shouts, and the grinding of boots on stone and Thorin looked up to see Kili struggling against the hands of the other members of the company, who were trying to pull him away from the edge.

"Get off! Let go!" The young dwarf roared angrily.

"Kili get back up!" Thorin growled, unable to restrain the tremble in it.

Kili looked up at his uncle his face determined even through the tears streaming from his eyes.

"We can't just leave her down there! What if she's-"

"Kili there isn't a way down. It's too high! There's no way she could've survived" Thorin winced as the words left his mouth. "I'm sorry."

* * *

The camp they made in the cave was one of silence that night. No one dared speak to anyone save in passing trivial matters, and even then they were granted disapproving looks, especially from Fili and Kili who were currently sleeping side by side on their own in a corner as far away from Thorin as they could.

Thorin kept his eyes on his two nephews as he lay on his side; guilt overriding his mind. It had been a hard blow for them to be stopped from fetching Ariel's body from that ledge till the rain and storm outside had cleared.

Out of the two of them, Fili was in the worst state. He had been holding onto Ariel when she had fallen and seemed to think he was responsible for her death, despite Kili's attempts to persuade him otherwise.

Whether it was because of their ages being so close, or their carefree personalities, out of all the company, the two young brothers had been the fondest of Ariel. Almost like she was another younger sibling.

 _And now she's our first casualty._

Thorin's usually stoic jaw clenched as he stared hard at the stone floor he was laying on.

 _"Go back home to your mother's lap."_

He felt disgusted with himself. He couldn't believe he had said such things. Even if the young woman was a witch..

No matter how much the girl had grated on his nerves with her free spirit and sharp tongue he'd never once wished for actual harm to come to her.

His guts now not only had dropped in his body but had vanished as he remembered the sight of the lifeless youthful face below. Ariel's eyes were shut, but he could still see the remnants of fear and pain imprinted into the features.

He dared not imagine what she must have been feeling on the inside when she'd fallen.

Alone, far away from home amongst strangers. It was a death nobody deserved.

"Forgive me, Ariel Brooks."

* * *

Far below on the dark shelf of rock, a girl with dark red hair stirred.

"Ow…" Ariel grunted feeling her neck twinge as she turned her head to look to the side.

"Guys…what happened? Guys?"

There was no one around her.

 _But no surely-how the hell did I survive that drop? I should've surely died and broken my back-ooh! Oow!_

She rubbed her lower back as she sat up, trying to ignore the sinking feeling of dread as she called out softly.

"Bilbo? Balin? Dwalin? Bofur? Fili? Kili? Bombur? Oin? Gloin? Nori? Dori? Ori? Bifur?...THORIN?!"

She yelled the last name with much anger and frustration as she kicked hard at the stone wall, stubbing her toe in the process.

She hopped on her uninjured foot, cursing softly with the foulest of curse words that would have made her mother and father faint with shock before striking the stone again.

"Thorin you goddamn ass-! You mother f-ing moron son of a b-! Where the bloody f-ing hell are you, idiots?!"

But even as she roared a flash of lightning sounded on the mountain peak above her and the rain only pelted down harder.

 _Great, it's still raining, and I'm all cold, wet and alone here…on this shelf…there's No way up and no way down,_

She shivered as the cold droplets from above pelted down upon her already soaked body and head just as she felt something warm dribble down her cheek. She reached up timidly and felt the cut from where her cheek had scraped against the rock beside her.

 _It'll probably get infected._

She snivelled quietly to herself as she made to crouch down in a huddle on the ground. However, for all the good it did she might as well have just continued to lie down and let herself get washed away.

 _CRACK!_

Ariel's head jerked up quickly to look at the wall. What had once appeared to have been solid stone now had a great big crack running down the centre of it.

 _What on earth-_

 _CRACK!_

Ariel fell backwards onto her behind just as a large slab of stone to the right of the crack began to grind itself forwards to reveal a dark gaping chasm of a cave.

The walls were round and high, carved out of the stone of the mountain itself, with wooden beams to support it. Each of these beams was dead and lifeless as the stone and were held together by ropes and dark, dirty iron chains.

However none of that seemed to matter to her now, not when from the darkness several shorter creatures with long arms, snubbed faces and dirty, disgusting skin was crawling towards her like a swarm of giant mutated cockroaches.

Ariel screamed.

* * *

Bilbo Baggins jumped up from his sleep, his eyes wide and his brow drenched with sweat.

 _What was that?_

He looked around wildly. All about him were dwarves sleeping and snoring on the ground. Outside rain pelted down like a snare drum on a continuous roll while thunder and lightning flashed outside.

And yet in spite of all that racket, the hobbit was sure he'd heard a scream of a girl.

 _No._

He shook his head sadly to himself

 _She couldn't have survived, and neither would I have if I had fallen._

And at this Bilbo began to wonder. What if it had been him that had taken Ariel's place?

Would the dwarves grieve for his loss? Or would he have just been left to decompose on a flat lump of rock, without the dignity of a grave or a proper send-off? Just a nameless corpse or skeleton on the side of a mountain.

Thorin's words from before echoed through his mind.

 _"He has no place amongst us."_

Was that it then? Was Bilbo Baggins just dragged away from his hobbit hole for nothing?

Without further ado, Bilbo picked himself up off the ground and began to strap on his gear again.

That was it! Thorin Oakensheild had just left the body of a dead young girl lie and rot on the mountainside. If this was how it was going to be then he wanted no part in it; screw the contract!

Picking up his walking stick and holding it high in his hands he trod carefully over the legs of the sleeping dwarves almost accidentally tripping over Oin's feet as the dwarf suddenly decided to turn over onto his side.

Bilbo paused as some of the dwarves stirred for a moment, before dropping back into their loud snores.

He sighed silently under his breath before quietly creeping towards the cave entrance.

However just before he could step out there was a soft frantic hiss.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

It was Bofur, and he was sitting up in his corner from where he had positioned himself for the first watch.

"Back to Rivendell" Bilbo clipped but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the dwarf was scrambling over to him.

"No, no you can't turn back now eh? You're part of the company; you're one of us."

"I'm not though am I?" Bilbo shrugged. "Thorin said I should never have come and he was right. I'm not a Took; I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door."

"You're upset, and you're homesick," Bofur said sympathetically "I understand-"

"No, you don't." Bilbo hissed "You don't understand. None of you do. You're dwarves, you are used to this life to living on the road, never settling in one place not belonging anywhere! If you did understand, then there wouldn't be a girl lying dead over the edge of a cliff!"

Bofur's once kind and sympathetic face now paled and fell like a stone.

Bilbo repeated over what he'd just said in his mind and quickly backtracked.

"Oh, no I'm sorry I didn't-I didn't-"

"No…" Bofur mumbled quietly looking back at the rest of the sleeping company "You're right, we don't belong anywhere."

He turned back to the hobbit with a small, sad smile.

"And I wish you all the luck in the world Bilbo, I do."

He patted Bilbo on the arm, and Bilbo smiled gratefully at him before beginning to turn around.

Bofur frowned as he caught sight of something glimmering on Bilbo's belt.

"What's that?"

"Hmm?" Bilbo quickly looked down to where the dwarf was looking and blinked.

His sword, the small blade Gandalf had picked up from the troll hoard was glowing a bright blue. He could almost remember the words the wizard had told him when he had been handed the weapon.

" _The blade is of elvish make which means it will glow blue when orcs are about."_

His face drained of colour.

 _Oh no…_

There was the rustling of material as Thorin leaned up from his spot on the ground. Contrary to what the Hobbit had first thought, he had not fallen asleep. He'd been wide awake ever since Bilbo had tried to sneak out and had been watching the exchange between him and Bofur with quiet disappointment.

He should have known that the hobbit would not stay with them now that his only real friend in the company was gone.

But now he was alert as he saw Bilbo pull out the blade on his hip just as the ground beneath them shuddered ominously.

Thorin quickly looked about and saw to his horror that there was a crack in the floor winding its way in between all the sleeping bodies of the others.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he barked kicking out to whoever he could reach.

The rest of the company, who had only just managed to get to sleep within the past hour suddenly jerked awake and looked around in confusion.

Just in time for the floor to suddenly drop beneath them and plunge them all into total darkness.

Ariel Brooks screamed and screeched as she struggled against the many filthy long arms of the goblins about her.

She could only guess they were goblins because despite her terror her mind was working on the double to remember the passages in _The_ _Hobbit_ book where Thorin and the company got captured by the Great-

 _OH MY GOD! NO-NO-NO-NO-NO! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME!_

She squeaked with terror as a goblin reached out to grab her by the roots of her hair and tug her forwards. Its swarm of fellows followed each one of them doing their best to snatch a piece of their terrified victim's clothes, ripping the material with their claw-like nails.

Ariel almost gagged from the smell of decay and filth that blew off the foul creatures like radiation from a nuclear power leak. It was so pungent that she was almost throwing up over herself as she was dragged further and further into the darkness.

The paths about her were only made of wood and rope or stone if they were close enough to the wall. However, they seemed sturdy enough to hold the weight of all the disgusting inhabitants they served plus her own.

But Ariel was not concerned about whether she would fall. As she passed by a crack in the rock, a large sweaty, wrinkled hand, probably one of the goblins, had just yanked her staff and her sword away from her body. Horrified she did her best to scramble back for it only for a row of small sharp teeth to dig itself in her shoulder in punishment.

She howled in pain, much to the amusement of the goblins who all cackled as she screeched.

"AHHH! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! HELP ME PLEASE SOMEONE! ANYONE?!"

Usually Ariel would've scoffed at such typical damsel in distress lines, however now that the time came for her to be in trouble, she found that nothing else was willing to spew from her mouth. She had no weapons to fight with, and she didn't know any martial arts whatsoever, so hand to hand combat was out of the question.

She wasn't powerfully built like a dwarf, nor fast like an elf, nor small or as sneaky as a hobbit. She was just a single human girl with only her voice at her disposal.

A voice that just about fell away into a horrified silence as she was dragged into a vast space deep within the heart of the mountain.

This entire area was larger than five football stadiums combined, so big in fact that the goblin city itself could fit snugly in with room to spare. Flaming torches lined all the walkways and walls providing a bright but still harsh orange-red glow about the caverns that cast dark, stark shadows.

Ariel could feel her eyes streaming over in tears of fright as she was brought over a rickety wooden bridge and onto a platform raised high in the centre of the Goblin city. There seated in all his morbidly disgusting glory sat a goblin of enormous size -no wait- enormous was merely a euphemism.

 _Oh god he's bigger than Jabba the Hut_

Ariel gulped down the bile threatening to rise in her throat as she looked upon the Great Goblin for the first time.

He was towering over her at more than nine feet at least and was giant, obese, bloated with lots of warts, lumps, and scars riddled over the fatty hips that were thankfully covered by a torn and soiled loincloth. In his hands, which alone were the size of large dustbins, he carried a large staff decorated with the skull of what seemed to be a ram, adorned with shrunken heads. But what got to Ariel most was his chin or rather the massive drooping almost tumorous growth that was hanging off the bottom of the large piggy face like the misshapen blown up waddle of a turkey.

Ariel barely had time to take in all of the terrible mass before she was thrown before the Great Goblin's feet with a harsh shove. When she squeaked upon impact with the floor, there was a horrific din as all the goblins about her began to cackle once more.

"Well, well, well" The Great Goblin King sniggered maliciously as he looked down from his large wooden throne to the girl at his feet.

"What have we got here boys?"

"A treat for your malevolence" a smaller goblin servant hissed bowing low to his leader. "found her kicking down one of our small escape doors."

"One of our escape doors hmm?" The Great Goblin turned an imperious eye on Ariel as he tilted the end of his bone staff so that it hit the underside of her chin. Without even a twitch of his fingers, Ariel felt the rod push up her head so it could be viewed in the light of the fiery torches.

"Tut-tut-tut!" He shook his head disappointedly as he looked over her small waist and chest "scrawny. Not enough meat for eating. But she does have a he-ehe- a pretty face…" he leered down at the girl before him nefariously "don't worry my pet I'll find a use for you sooner or later. Who knows you might be good entertainment. Clap her in chains and bring 'er over here."

"NO, Wait-stop-AH!" Ariel screeched as she was pounced upon by a goblin from behind who roughly forced her to lean forward on her hands and knees as another goblin hurried forwards. In its arms were a pair of rusted but strong Iron shackles which were both attached to her wrists, joining them so that they could only move a foot apart at most. Around her neck too another metal shackle was placed this time with a long chain that flowed over to wrap around the large flabby arm of the Great Goblin.

 _Like a dog to a leash_

Ariel winced as she was shoved to the side of the throne to sit and shiver in the shadows.

"Hmm…how do I look now?" the Great Goblin sneered to his followers as he lounged about on his throne, along gigantic gorilla-like appendage reaching down to savagely tousle Ariel's damp locks atop her head.

Without thinking she automatically jerked her head around and spat savagely onto the ham hands that reached out towards her.

The goblins about them all broke out into fits of horrible laughter once more; even the Great Goblin was amused.

"HA! Well aren't you a feisty one?" he barked with glee as he returned the favour and spat at her.

Ariel shut her eyes, barely feeling the tears stream down her face as something mucous like and slimy soared over her head, specks of it hitting her scalp.

Her companions all thought she was dead and now she might soon be gone after this monster was done playing with her and spitting on her like she was filth beneath his dirty feet.

"Aww did I hurt the poor little pet's feelings?" the Great Goblin mockingly cooed as Ariel cringed away from his touch.

"So… _Sorry_ " He flicked out the rope and chains, and she yelped in pain as the hard metal flicked harshly against her back like a sharp whip.

 _Mum! Dad! Ian! SOMEONE ANYONE PLEASE!_

She whimpered as the Great Goblin struck at her with his makeshift whip once more, this time slashing her over her arm and shoulder and a little bit on her cheek. Ariel felt another cut searing as blood oozed over her cheek, staining it red.

The Goblins about her eyed the red liquid that came trickling down. They were hungry for meat, and such a fresh delicacy were maidens that even a tiny droplet of their blood was enough to send them into a frenzy. However, they dared not take their king's prey.

Ariel shut her eyes tight as she heard the hungry murmurings of the Great Goblin behind her as he sniffed the air.

"Ohhh…that smells good…" he tugged on her chains hard and instead of whipping her, he instead dragged her over to the foot of his chair before hoisting her up by the chainlinks to dangle before his face.

He licked his lips with a disgusting red tongue as he eyed the bleeding cuts on her face, her shoulders and upper back, her long dark reddish-brown tousled hair, the terrified light chestnut eyes before darting down to her legs as she kicked out in a struggle. During her wriggling, a long tear in the right of her skirts, courtesy of his manhandling subjects, began to unravel further till it stopped mid-thigh, exposing a fair amount of bruised light brown skin.

"Hmm you do look appetising" he growled. "Maybe if I take just a little nibble-"

"Sire! SIRE!" a small goblin quickly darted onto the platform from a bridge from the opposite side of the cavern. "Sire we've got more _visitors._ "

"Visitors?" the Great Goblin dropped his prize promptly to the floor where she landed with a thud. "Well, what are you waiting for? Turn up the music. _Show them in._ And then afterwards I can enjoy my snack" he hissed glancing down to the ground.

Ariel scrambled away from the Great Goblin's line of sight to hide hunched over in the shadows of his throne. He had many old sharp bones lying about the floor of the high chair. If only she could figure out a way to pick at the locks on her shackles-

She was distracted from her task by the goblin citizens sudden roars of delight, as a platoon of the foul vermin came swarming in from where the messenger had just arrived.

As they came closer, she was able to catch snippets of loud shouts that certainly didn't sound like any goblins she'd heard thus far.

"Unhand me!"

"Let go-"

"You filthy little bas-"

 _Those voices, they sound just like-_

"GUYS!" she screeched from her spot as she caught sight of poor Bifur and Ori bringing up the lead as they were dragged onto the platform before the Great Goblin King.

Next, she saw Thorin, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Nori, Dori, Gloin and Oin…but no matter how hard she looked there was no sign of Bilbo.

Her gut dropped as she looked over the group who in turn was staring at her with shock as if she were a ghost.

Thorin's face indeed was the palest of the lot as he caught sight of the bedraggled girl he'd once thought dead. When he caught sight of the chain binding her to the Great Goblin his nostrils flared incensed.

 _Those monsters, how could they?!_

Ariel couldn't help but shiver and turn her face away in shame. No matter how angry she got at him, it still didn't stop the fact that he might have been right about her abilities, or rather lack of capabilities, as a warrior after all.

However, she didn't have any time to wallow in her self-pity for the Goblin King was gearing up to sing as disconcerting and cacophonic but unmistakably musical notes began to play from somewhere far above.

 _Clap snap, the black crack  
Grip, grab, pinch, and nab  
Batter and beat  
Make them stammer and squeak!_

And with that "squeak" the Great Goblin hopped to his feet, and the floorboards beneath him squeaked in protest to his massive weight.

 _Pound pound, far underground  
Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

And with every "Down, down, down" all the Goblins about the entire city made to roar out in unco-ordinated harmony causing a clash so vile upon their ears that many of the dwarves cringed and stuffed their fingers in their ears.

 _With a swish and smack  
And a whip and a crack_

He snapped the chains once more upon Ariel's hunching back. She managed to roll out of the way just in time; however her fortune was only temporary as the chain around her neck was tugged to its fullest extent choking her throat tight.

 _Everybody talks when they're on my rack  
Pound pound, far underground  
Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

Ariel spluttered and bleated as her body was suddenly tugged back in front of the Great Goblin who was still singing loudly.

 _Hammer and tongs, get out your knockers and gongs  
You won't last long at the end of my prongs_

And as he hit the high note of that bar, the Great Goblin struck a smaller goblin on the end of his bone staff and flung it carelessly over the edge, its dark blood staining and splattering over the wooden floorboards beneath.

 _Clash, crash, crush and smash  
Bang, break, shiver and shake  
You can yammer and yelp  
But there ain't no help_

The Company of Thorin all cried out in horror as the girl yelped and shrieked as the chains whipped down on her once again, this time hitting their mark right across her back in long diagonal swipes in time to the words of the next line in the song.

 _Pound_

CRACK!

 _Pound,_

CRACK _!_

 _far underground_

CRACK!

 _Down, down, down in Goblin To-own!_

The company had to duck as the Great Goblin did a turn, wheeling his massive arms around him like a windmill for a good minute before stomping down on his finishing note, onto which he added another even louder crack of the chains.

Ariel shrieked so loudly and so shrilly that Ori almost fainted then and there on the spot much to the delight of the goblins about them.

"Catchy isn't it?" The Great Goblin sighed as he bowed to his audience as all of his minions cheered him on. "One of my own compositions."

The company's eyes, however, were focused on the floor. There Ariel was sobbing in a small ball on her side, wishing she could vanish and go back home right then and there within a heartbeat.

The Great Goblin spared her a small snort before nudging his foot out to roll her onto her back so they could all see her pale, sweaty, grimy, blood and tear-stained face.

"Oh yes, this is my brand-new pet. Do you like her? I do. Pretty little thing isn't she. Squawks like a baby bird in the nest, ehehe!"

There was the scuffling of material as Dwalin lunged forwards against the push of his comrades who were standing in front of him, doing their best to keep the snarling dwarf out of trouble.

"You abomination! You filthy despicable-"

"Abominations, mutations, deviations." The Great Goblin shrugged nonchalantly over the top of the dwarf "That's all you're going to find down here."

Ariel flinched as the sounds of metal hitting wood announced the disposal of weapons at the great Goblin's feet.

"Now, who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom." He snarled "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves your malevolence" a goblin bowed respectfully from the sides.

"Dwarves?"

"Found them on the Front Porch."

"Well don't just stand there. Search them" the Great Goblin commanded but even as he pointed his finger; he yanked Ariel forwards by the neck sending her sprawling face first into the ground.

But the company did not have time to come to her aid for at that moment the goblins swarmed them, stripping them of whatever gear and pack they carried.

Eventually one of the vile creatures got hold of Nori's rucksack which it tipped over to reveal a whole mass of delicately crafted candlesticks, cutlery and various other household items.

"It is my belief your great protuberance, that they are in league with elves" another small goblin held out a golden candlestick for his king to see.

"Made in Rivendell," the Great Goblin scoffed "Ah Second age couldn't give it away. What are you doing in these parts?"

"Uh don't worry lads. I'll handle this" Oin stepped forwards before Thorin could open his mouth.

"No tricks. I want the truth, warts and all" the Great Goblin sneered.

Ariel rolled over and looked up from her spot on the floor, hope brimming in her light eye as Oin said.

"You're going to have to speak up. Yer boys flattened my trumpet", and he held up his battered and now flattened remains of an ear trumpet.

The Great Goblin rolled his eyes.

"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!"

"If it's more information you want, then I'm the one you should speak to" Bofur but in quickly before the temper of the vile king could rise.

After a tiny nod, Bofur sighed.

"you see we were on the road. Well, it's not so much a road as a path. Actually, it's not even that come to think of it. It's more like a track. Anyway, the point is, we were on this road like a path like a track, and then we weren't. Which is a problem because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday."

 _That's it! We're doomed._

Ariel's head thudded to the ground in absolute exasperation as another dwarf piped in.

"Visiting distant relations."

"Yes." Bofur nodded vigorously before adding "A few in-breeds on my mother's side-"

"SHUT UP!" The Great Goblin roared, and everyone shrank away "If they will not talk we'll make them SQUAWK! Bring up the mangler, bring up the bone breaker! Start with the pretty on here. I'm sure she'll squeal something sweet in no time."

He looked down at Ariel, tossing down her chain from his hands and at once the goblins began to swarm about her.

"WAIT!" A gruff voice boomed, and at once the Goblins around Ariel drew back as Thorin stepped forwards to stand in front of her, glaring up at the Great Goblin.

The Great Goblin looked down on him, recognition dawning in his disgusting features

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. King Under the Mountain."

And with that, the Great Goblin gave a mocking bow before adding with a sneer.

"Oh, but I forgot you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you-hmm-nobody really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours. A pale Orc, astride a white Warg."

Thorin's glare turned if possible, even stonier than before as the Great Goblin's eyes glinted with wicked pleasure.

When the dwarf prince spoke, his voice was strained as if he were doing his best to hold back all of his anger behind a stone.

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

"So you think his defiling days are done do you?" The Great Goblin hissed before turning to a snivelling tiny goblin by his side who had a wooden clipboard and a stick of graphite in his hand.

"Send word to the Pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize."

* * *

"What has roots that nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up up it goes, and yet never grows?"

"Uh, easy um…mountain I suppose?"

* * *

"Bones will be shattered; necks will be wrung-"

Ariel was clinging for dear life onto Gloin as the goblins all around them danced about trying to snatch at anything and everything on her and the dwarves that they could get their hands on.

"LASS!" the dwarf yelled as Ariel was snatched from his side and was pounced on by a particularly horrific goblin with greenish skin which immediately began to paw at her body, its claws scraping hard at her green dress.

Then suddenly a pale fist slammed hard into the jaw of the disgusting little vermin with a loud yell.

"Get off her scum!"

"Ori" Ariel bleated her hands clutching at the collar of the smallest dwarf's wool knitted sweater as he quickly grabbed her.

"Get down and follow me" he yelled as he pulled her down and away from a small goblin that lunged at them both. It flew over the top of them landing into a couple of its fellows behind as Ori and Ariel did their best to crawl under the feet of them, keeping out of sight.

However, their safety was not to last for long as Ariel slipped on her hands and knees loudly and at once a pair of filthy claw-like hands grabbed at her ankles.

"Ori-Ori-AHHH!" she screamed as Ori, only just realising her trouble flung himself at her.

"No!"

But too late for even as his fingers grazed hers, she was dragged away from him.

Ariel cried out in terror as her knees painfully scraped against the rotten wood beneath her. She twisted, struggled and turned, but the only thing she saw was the face of a remarkably ugly goblin gripping at her as he pulled her back towards the Great Goblin's throne.

With a high kick, Ariel managed to send it flying off her only to incur the wrath of several of its fellows. She scrambled backwards as they advanced on her, her hands hitting cold smooth metal as she planted them on the pile of weapons that the goblins had confiscated from the company.

 _Must get a sword or something…anything! Even a goddamn fork is better than nothing!_

After fumbling about for a good few seconds, her hands found the hilt of a sword.

Without thinking she swung the blade out in front of her just as two goblins pounced onto her.

There was a shriek of pain and a splattering of dark blood. All the other dwarves turned around in surprise to see one Goblin holding onto a bloodied stump that was once where its hand had been while the other was dead on the ground, a large gash over his neck as Ariel held up a slender silver sword gleaming a bright, vivid blue.

"Orcrist" Ariel breathed, but then she looked up and saw to her horror that the goblins about her were snarling as their king shrieked.

"I know that sword. It is the Goblin-cleaver! The biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks. SLASH THEM, BEAT THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL! CUT OFF THEIR HEADS"

And as he roared all his minions jumped down viciously upon their prey their faces incensed Ariel clung onto Orcrist for dear life and not knowing what else to do she swung the sword in her hands wildly at any goblin that dared come within a metre of her.

It seemed to work, if only for a little time.

Unlike the other dwarves about her Ariel barely had much upper body strength and the sword was unnaturally heavy in her hands. So being the amateur swordswoman, she soon found her arms beginning to ache even when she held the blade still.

Her opponents seemed to notice her shaking limbs for they began to attack in earnest, one of them even managing to cut her shoulder with a small knife. As she jumped back, she fell backwards onto the floor.

The goblins all snickered and several of them pinned her arms and legs down while another one bore down on the girl dangling a gleaming serrated bone dagger above her head.

 _This is it, I'm done for! I'm going to die!_

Tears leaked from her eyes as Ariel struggled against the grimy hands weighing her limbs down.

Then suddenly everything turned into a bright blinding white.

Ariel stayed still in as the light obscured her vision and blew all the goblins restraining her off of her body; their cries somehow lost in the silence of shock.

She could swear that it was so quiet where she was that she could even hear the sounds from far below echo up through the rocky caves for a split second.

"They stole it from us! Thief! Thief! They stole my precious!"

 _? That…that couldn't have been…Gollum?!_

But Ariel did not have time to ponder the screams, not when the world suddenly drew her back into darkness as the white light disappeared.

Something long and wooden rolled towards her from the side and blinking she turned her head.

Her heart leapt in her throat as she caught sight of a green gem glimmering from within the head of a redwood staff.

She grabbed at it quickly her head rising to see the tall, familiar silhouette of an old man. He was wearing grey robes with a tall pointed hat atop his head and bearing a sword in one hand and a staff in the other, both of which glinted in the light of the returning flames.

"Take up arms" Gandalf the Grey commanded as his apprentice and the company all looked upon him in shock and awe.

"Fight. FIGHT!" he cried, suddenly lunging forward, wielding both sword and staff high in his hands.

Ariel didn't know how but the sight of Gandalf suddenly made her gut burn with renewed vigour as hope rekindled and without further ado, she sprung to her feet.

It was absolute pandemonium.

The dwarves and goblins were striking at one another left right and centre. Yells and shrieks blasted like loud thunderclaps; blood spurted from wounds from swords and axes, teeth broke as hammers struck.

Ariel barely knew what was happening, though she did manage to realise that in all the confusion one of the dwarves' swords that had accidentally almost hit her, had cut through the chain that held her hands bound together.

Now free to move her arms she began to attack with much faster and broader strokes, striking down all the goblins she could see as they tried to swarm on them once more.

"Look Out!" She cried as she saw the Great Goblin suddenly rush out from his chair to lunge at Thorin who was busy fighting off another goblin to his right.

Ariel thrust out her staff, and a ball of green light suddenly burst from the end of it, blasting straight into the oversized goblin king and sending him flying off the edge of the platform.

Thorin looked up and was surprised to be seeing, not the scared whimpering girl he'd just seen getting whipped on the floor, but a young woman with a weapon in her hands and a determined gleam in her bright eyes as she struck down another goblin that had attacked her.

He gave her a firm nod as they passed one another on the small battlefield, him slicing down his opponents while she struck with her magic creating vines that would hold and strangle the vile goblins that dared come close to any of the company.

Once most of the platform was clear of most of their captors Gandalf called out to the company loudly.

"Follow me quick!

Ariel wasted no time in running after the wizard as he ran off the platform and over a wooden bridge, the dwarves following close behind.

"How on earth did you find us?!" she yelled, her heart hammering in her chest as they descended, down, down and down further into the centre of the mountains.

"I'll explain when we get to safety, but right now, we must keep moving. QUICKLY" Gandalf cried as he saw more goblins begin to crawl out from various cracks and holes in the walls above them their faces alive with malice.

There was puffing from behind her and Ariel quickly turned to see Bombur at the back of the line of dwarves running and huffing as his stout legs carried his overweight form as fast as they could over the wood.

The chilling sounds of harsh screeches and roars hit her ears again as a whole pack of Goblins jumped to block the path in front of them.

Ariel looked about for any sign or another pathway, but it was no use. There was only one way in front.

It was Balin who came up with the solution.

"grab the post" he cried out picking up one of the handrails of the bridge in his arms. Ariel and the others quickly grabbed onto it and pushed it out in front, using it to shove the goblins out of their way, much like an icebreaker would break apart ice.

They had been running in this manner for only a few moments when Ariel suddenly gasped as she jerked backwards.

One of the goblins had crawled up under the pathway scaffolding beneath them and had grabbed onto the long chain that the Great Goblin had put about her throat.

She choked and spluttered as the chain around her neck tightened horribly, constricting her air passages as she was dragged back towards the edge of the path.

"Hold on Lass!" she heard a yell and shut her eyes as Dwalin's dark shadow leapt down over her swinging his axes down. With a mighty swipe, he cut down the goblin dragging her before slamming his other axe down, this time on the chain. It broke asunder the links shattering as they severed from one another in a loud metallic crunch that made Ariel's ears ring.

She winced as she was tugged to her feet and shoved back into the company who all made to drag her along behind.

Once or twice she almost tripped or fell through a hole in the decaying wooden boards beneath her feet as they proceeded over the bridge, after bridge after bridge.

 _Holy crap, this is absolute madness!_

Ariel screeched in her head as she once again was caught in the middle of several goblins, swinging her staff and blasting them with her magic as hard as she could.

Meanwhile, around her, all the dwarves were facing problems of their own with moving forwards for every step they took goblins kept blocking their path as they ran, jumped even swung over tracks and gaps.

 _There has gotta be a way of mowing them down in front of us_

She bit her lip as she ran forwards after Gandalf who was still trying to yell encouragements from the front of the line as goblins leapt down from who knew where.

Quickly she looked up as the firelight of the torches about her illuminated the rocky ceiling.

She gasped as she saw a giant round rock dangling just a short way above them.

 _That'll work_

"Stand back!" she yelled shoving her staff forwards. A green blast fired upwards to the ceiling and hit the large round rock which fell with a tremendous thud right before Thorin's face as he skidded to a stop just in time.

"What are you trying to do girl? Kill us?" he roared, but Ariel just shouted back at him just as angrily as she ran up to shove her weight against the rock.

"Just shut up and push!"

It took her and the efforts of four dwarves but soon the rock was rolling along, fast and robust down the path before them like a giant marble.

Heartened by this new weapon the dwarves all proceeded to run off after the rock, pushing it around corners and fast downhill whenever they were faced with stairs.

As it rolled it squashed and smashed into goblins, pounding them into pancakes or tossing them off the path and down into the depths of the caves below.

Eventually, the rock itself fell off and over the edge as gravity called it over a small cliff face, but the dwarves were not perturbed. Not when Gandalf could see the exit right before them.

However even as they ran onto the bridge between them and the great hole in the rock before them something tremendous and substantial broke through the wood from beneath.

They all stumbled back in alarm as the Great Goblin clambered up onto their pathway leering down at all of them.

"You thought you could escape me?"

The Great Goblin swung his bone staff before them.

"What are you going to do now Wizard?"

Gandalf keeled backwards only to be pushed back up onto his feet by the dwarves.

It took him a split second to come to his senses, but when he did, he did not disappoint.

"HA!" Ariel laughed victoriously when she saw him poke the goblin's eye with his staff before swinging the sword Glamdring, its blade slicing across the great king's fat belly.

"Aye, that'll do it" The Great Goblin grunted only for his head to roll to the side as Gandalf once more sliced his blade, this time cutting the throat.

There was a thud and a shudder as the Great Goblin keeled over and slammed down hard onto the ground, his body lifeless.

However, the tremor was more than enough.

Within seconds the wood was cracking and snapping, and Ariel looked down in alarm to see that the supports beneath were giving way.

"HOLD ON!" she heard a dwarf yell and quickly she felt two pairs of arms grab hold of her by her shoulders and tug her down just as the floor fell away beneath her.

It was worse than when she'd been thrown off the cliff by the stone giants. Everyone was screaming, wind and splintering wood scratched her already scratched up face and body. But even so, she kept clinging on for dear life onto the people beside her as they fell, down, down, down and –

CRASH!

The remains of the wooden bridge finally hit the ground.

* * *

"THIEF! THIEF! BAGGINS! CURSES AND CRUSH THEM! THIEF!"

* * *

"Well, that could've been worse."

BAM!

Ariel gasped her eyes flying open. She seemed to be lying in the dark on top of something soft that was groaning in pain.

"Oww…"

She recognised the voice at once.

"Kili?"

She tried to move around to get off her friend however found to her dismay that someone else was laying on top of her their blonde head next to hers.

"Are you alright?" a voice muttered softly in her ear.

Ariel squeaked for a moment in surprise though it was quick to pass as Fili puffed in her ear, his short-braided beard scratching her cheek.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Oh god are we alive?" Ariel breathed in shock only to wince as Fili tried his best to push himself up off her. It was a difficult task seeing as there was a large beam of wood pressing against his back.

"If by alive you mean not crushed or eaten alive by goblins yet then yes, we are" he grunted as he tried to push himself up onto his knees.

Kili spluttered as he tried to move Ariel's red hair out of his face.

"Cheery today aren't you brother AGH! Fi!"

Ariel looked down and saw that one of his Fili's knees had accidentally knocked his brother below the belt right in-between his legs.

"Sorry, Kili but it's a bit cramped in here if you haven't noticed!"

"Ugh! Men." Ariel shut her eyes and sighed heavily, as she squirmed and found to her relief that her entire body, though sore and stiff, was completely unscathed. However, she was surprised to see that her head was not even in contact with the ground beneath her. After a quick twist of her neck, she finally felt Fili's large numb, cold fingers clasped protectively over her scalp and neck, holding her face close over his shoulder while Kili seemed to have positioned her securely by the waist so that her back was cushioned by half of his stomach.

Her back-

Both Fili and Kili stiffened as Ariel gave a tiny whimper in-between them.

"Ariel what's wrong."

"It's…its nothing I just…agh!" Ariel hissed biting down on her lip as she did her best to crawl out from under Fili as he managed to push himself onto his hands and knees even under the weight of the wooden structure above them.

As she withdrew off him, Kili sighed with relief and looked up and about.

The other dwarves and Gandalf were groaning and moaning as they detached themselves from the wreckage of the bridge on top of which the corpse of the Great Goblin now lay as millions of his minions crawled down the-

"GANDALF!" Kili cried in horror pointing at the caves above.

Ariel looked up, and her face paled her hands gripping onto her staff tightly.

Like a hoard of cockroaches, hundreds upon hundreds of goblins were crawling down the walls towards them with high speed and much anger.

"There's too many we can't fight them" Dwalin growled as he pulled Nori to his feet.

"Only one thing will save us, daylight!" Gandalf cried out as he pointed to a hole in the rock before them "Come on."

Without pausing to think Fili threw off the wooden beams from his brother and they both quickly scrambled over to a still struggling Ariel. They both grabbed her from around her shoulders and pulled her to her aching feet, almost dragging her along as the entire company ran back into the darkness.

Ariel barely heard the yells as she did her best to focus on the path ahead which was now dark and stony.

"This way!" Gandalf called.

Ariel felt herself get tugged about a corner and as she did her hands touched the stone wall. Only it wasn't only the rock. Something plant like was creeping up it. She shut her eyes and felt it as her hand scraped by it with every running stride.

 _Roots?_

At once a rush of energy flooded through her at the touch, streaming through her body, right down from her hands to the very tips of her toes.

She opened her eyes and almost gasped. It was just like when she had fought against the trolls the first time. The whole world was cloaked in darkness, but she could again see very plainly the roots all above her head, glimmering a faint green. The dwarves before her were like smoky shadows as they followed a bright white flame like figure. With a jolt to her stomach, she recognised the staff and the pointed hat.

That was Gandalf? But why was he so different from the dwarves? Was it his magic?

"Hey, look it's happening again" Kili whispered as they continued to rush along the walls Ariel keeping her hand trailing after the mountain roots. Through them, she could almost feel the very hairs of the roots as plainly as she could feel her hair on her head as they crept along the wall and straight through to the-

"Gandalf!" she hissed as she passed by the wizard as he made to stop at the said corner and count off the members of the party. "We need to turn on the next bend to the right."

As their gaze met the wizard stiffened. Her eyes were no longer the light orbs of chestnut but a bright glimmering green.

 _Those eyes…they're just like when…but it couldn't' be…_

The wizard shook his head out to clear it and barked to the two young dwarves on either side of her.

"Go to the front. Thorin! Follow Ariel; she knows the way out."

"What about you?" Ariel asked looking behind.

"Don't mind me just go ahead" Gandalf called before falling behind to encourage the rest of the company onwards from the back.

Invigorated by the presence of the root's energy Ariel was soon by Thorin's side, though when she came level, he spared her a small frown.

"Where to?" he asked gruffly.

"We turn left on the second turn and go down some stairs before another left through a narrow passage, then a right then another right and then straight outside!" she puffed.

"Are you sure?"

Ariel was about to snap back at him when she noticed that his look was not one of aggravation but one of concern.

"Yes, I'm very sure" Ariel nodded quietly but then stumbled as her back throbbed in agony. Luckily, Thorin quickly caught her and slung one of her arms over his shoulders to support her weight as they ran.

"You truly are a magnet for trouble" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head at her and rolling his eyes.

"Just turn left now jackass" she snarled.

Despite their desperate predicament many of the dwarves sniggered behind them, though they quickly stopped as the growls of Goblins suddenly became louder behind them.

Their hearts all hammered in their chests as they ran down a set of stone steps for a good fifty meters before turning right, the sounds of the goblins echoing horribly behind them.

Suddenly there was a cry of relief from Bofur as they approached the end of a narrow pathway.

"LOOK THE SUNLIGHT!"

And indeed, there it was. As the company turned a corner, they were all hit with a blast of bright yellow light as it streamed through a great big hole before them, out of which they could see grassy slopes and the tops of trees.

Ariel's heart soared, and suddenly she found her legs pumping harder than they'd ever gone in her life. She was running so fast that poor Thorin who was still holding onto her was now being the one dragged behind.

"Whoa there girl slow down-wait up!" but Ariel was already out of his grip and darting headlong out of the cave.

Ariel laughed with relief as the warmth hit her skin, her pain melting away within moments to be replaced by absolute joy.

Oh, how good it felt to see the sun on her face and the wind in her hair.

She only skidded to a stop when Gandalf's old voice called out to her.

"Whoever is running up ahead needs to slow down so I can do a head count!"

She rolled her eyes

"So slow old man."

But even so, she doubled back up the slope towards a small rocky outcrop within a ring of trees where Gandalf had rushed ahead and was now re-counting the members of the company that came up to him.

Ariel quickly came back up almost running into Fili and Kili, the latter not even bothering to avoid ramming into her as he flung his arms around her.

"Thank Mahal you are alright. We thought you were a goner on that shelf."

"Kili-Kili I'm alright really I-"

Ariel blushed as she felt the young dwarf bury his face in her soft bosom. She didn't know whether it was accidental, he and the dwarves were always shorter than her by about a head. But from what Ariel had seen of Kili so far, she knew he was defiantly one of the biggest flirts she'd ever met. Even so, she didn't think she could see him as anything more than another brother.

Fili seeing her discomfort gave a pointed cough.

"Kili that's enough you're suffocating her" he tugged his brother off of the girl before taking her hand and calmly leading her towards a rock before forcing her to sit down.

Meanwhile, some way off Dwalin snorted with amusement as they caught sight of Ariel spluttering in confusion, her face completely red as she was patted down and checked over by the two brothers.

"How is your back?" Fili muttered as he made to pat down her shoulders.

"I can't feel anything" Ariel replied before sighing heavily as the blonde dwarf gave her a raised eyebrow. "Honestly Fili I don't…I mean I was feeling it earlier but-"

"It's probably the adrenalin rush" Kili winced as he checked over her back where he could see through the torn fabric horrible bruises "Yeah that can happen…that generally tends to mean that you'll feel it after you've rested. Ouch! these look nasty."

"Well that's just wonderful" Ariel groaned sarcastically, and Kili chuckled reaching out to ruffle her hair gently.

"Don't worry. At least this time there aren't any broken bones."

But even as his younger brother said this Fili's face faltered as he made to push back the front of her hair to examine a large bruise on her right temple.

"I think that one was from the fall earlier" Ariel mumbled reaching up to rub at it with her sleeve.

Fili's eyes fell to his feet at the last word.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled as he examined the other smaller cuts that littered her cheeks and jaw. "I'm so sorry please forgive me-It was my fault-"

"Fili it's not your fault. I'm just glad I wasn't left behind" Ariel ran a hand through her long red hair.

However, Fili just shook his head.

"No Ariel that's the thing…we were going to leave you there…we thought-I thought you were-And I thought I had-I thought you were…because of my mistake and…I just…"

Fili shut his eyes and turned his face away, his face a mask of pain and shame.

Ariel's eyes softened as her heart stung. She should've by all means be feeling angry at him and the others for leaving her for dead…but she couldn't…not after seeing the anguish in Fili's blue eyes.

Ariel knew that look all too well, for she had worn it not so long ago as she had sat beside a hospital bed waiting for someone she loved to open their eyes, even though she felt in her heart of hearts that they probably never would.

"Fili, what is done is done. And even though you didn't catch me back at the cliff you still were there to catch me when we all fell from that platform, so thank you." Ariel rolled her eyes before gently punching his forehead his cheek affectionately with her knuckle.

"I was there too if anyone's interested" Kili rolled his eyes, only to have his hair ruffled playfully by Ariel's hand. The other dwarves openly chuckled at their youths with fondness.

"Tch! children" Dwalin shook his head exchanging a chuckle with Gloin as they passed by Gandalf who was continuing to count on his fingers.

"-five, six, seven, eight. Bifur, Bofur. That's ten. Fili, Kili, Ariel that's thirteen. Bombur is fourteen" the wizard sighed with relief as the fat dwarf came to a puffing stop. However, his relief was quick to fade when he suddenly re-counted off again on his fingers.

Ariel blinked. The wizard had only counted fifteen of them including himself.

 _But hang on…there's supposed to be sixteen who have we got missing-OH SHIT!_

Terror flooded her once more, and she sprang to her feet ignoring Fili's attempts to calm her down.

"Bilbo!" she called out loudly. "BILBO! Oh crap, where is he?! What happened to him?!"

She looked around at the group only to see that the rest of them were just as clueless as she was.

"Curse the Halfling!" Dwalin snarled under his breath "now he's lost?"

"I thought he was with Dori" Gloin frowned at Dori who looked flabbergasted.

"Don't look at me? I don't know where he is."

"Oh come on someone has to have seen him last" Ariel turned back to them all panic flooding her voice.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us" Nori spoke up quickly and Gandalf's face tensed.

"Well, what happened exactly? Tell me?"

"I'll tell you what happened" Thorin growled stepping forwards "Master Baggins saw his chance, and he took it. He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth, since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."

There was another silence as everyone looked down to the ground in disappointment. Even if Bilbo sometimes seemed more of a hindrance than a help, they had all liked him in some way or another.

Ariel, however, refused to believe it and did her best to try and rack her brain for what she could remember of the Hobbit when she'd last seen him.

They'd been on the stone giant…he had fallen off. However, if what Nori had said was true then the others had managed to save him and drag him down to Goblin-town with them.

 _No, wait a moment Goblin-town, Goblin-town, what happened to Bilbo when he went under the mountains._

But even as she thought she remembered the strange screams she'd heard back when Gandalf had blinded them all with that blast of white light.

The voice that had screamed…she'd I thought it was merely an echo…

 _"They stole it from us! Thief! Thief!"_

 _Hang on…that voice, was that-oh my god was that Gollum?!_

Ariel quickly looked about herself with wild eyes.

Had that been the disgusting little creature that had been screeching all this time? He sounded far stranger than she'd imagined.

 _Wait a moment, but if that was Gollum screaming then Bilbo must have found the-_

"No he isn't" a familiar voice smugly smirked, and Ariel looked up sharply to see Bilbo suddenly appear from behind a tree.

"Bilbo Baggins" Gandalf chortled as Ariel sprinted over to the Hobbit and scooped him up into her arms.

"Oh, Bilbo thank goodness."

"ARIEL! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" Bilbo gasped in surprise as he was swung around in the embrace before being set down securely on the ground where Ariel proceeded to hug him tight once more.

"You're one to talk" Kili laughed as Ariel let go of the flustered now blushing hobbit.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked.

"Oh um…ehehe" Bilbo chuckled nervously, and Ariel's eyes darted quickly down to one of his hands just in time to see a glimmer of gold slip into one of his waistcoat pockets.

She suddenly felt her gut burn.

The one ring. That one dastardly, godforsaken tiny band of gold! That was the reason her brother had been cursed?! That was why she had been dragged so far from home!?

 _That vile, horrible little band of shit!_

She quickly hid her anger behind a mask of a smile as she stepped away to give Bilbo some air, though it took all Ariel could within her not to snatch the ring from Bilbo and crush it using one of the dwarves hammers.

She barely heard Gandalf's voice as he smiled with relief.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back."

"It matters" Thorin frowned confusion etched in his thick brow as he looked upon the hobbit "I want to know…why did you come back?"

Bilbo's face fell for a moment.

"Look I know you doubt me. I know you always have. And you're right I often think of Bag-End. I miss my books. And my armchair, and my Garden. See that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back because, you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you…and you were taken from it." he added with a glance towards Ariel "But I will help you take it back if I can."

Thorin opened his mouth to speak, but for the first time since Ariel had ever met him, the dwarf prince couldn't seem to form a reply. Instead, she saw his blue eyes glimmer for the faintest of seconds before quickly darting down to the ground.

The other dwarves too, all twelve of them, also looked down to the ground with both shame and sorrow as their friends' words touched their hearts.

The only one who was smiling was Gandalf, and it was full of pride and wonderment, a look he exchanged with Ariel who nodded back at him as she put a supportive hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

"Told you he'd be the right hobbit for the job" she muttered and suddenly the spell over the dwarves was broken.

They all broke out into laughter, even Thorin and Dwalin managed small smiles the latter of whom was more amused as it looked upon the young girl.

"Geeze lass, why couldn't you run like that when we were chased by those wargs last time?"

"Dunno. Why couldn't you guys pick me up off that shelf?" Ariel snorted.

She had meant it to be a joke only it seemed to make them all fall into a very uncomfortable silence.

Many of the dwarves turned to Thorin who once again looked somewhat sheepish as even Fili and Kili's eyes turned hard upon him.

"Ariel-" he started to say but then suddenly he was cut off by a loud howling sounds.

But those weren't the howls of ordinary wolves…these were the vicious, bloodthirsty war cries of wargs.

Thorin cursed softly under his breath.

"Out of the Frying pan-"

"And into the fire" Gandalf muttered before yelling out in the loudest command they'd heard him use

"RUN!"

* * *

 **So that was chapter 9 all done and re-edited. Not much changed here plotwise since I was already pretty happy with it. Hopefully, Chapter 10 comes up quicker.**

 **As always let me know what you think and keep reviewing and faving for more**

 **Cheers**

 **Fuzzybeta**


	10. Out of the Frying Pan

**Chapter 10: Out of the Frying Pan**

"[Run them down! Tear them to pieces!]"

The voice that yelled the words of black speech was as loud and as harsh as the wargs that howled with it.

The sound of it made Ariel's heart almost freeze in her chest as she ran helter-skelter along with the thirteen dwarves, the hobbit and the wizard down the slopes of the high mountain and into the trees.

 _SHIT- SHIT- SHIT- SHIT! The sun!_

She gasped in horror as the sun began to dip low over the horizon, staining the sky a bloody red.

"Quickly now" Gandalf called from the head of the company as he led them through the trees, but Ariel knew it was no good.

Even though she and the company were far ahead, the warg scouts after them would have no trouble using the force of gravity to propel themselves down faster than any of them could ever dream of running.

 _We need high ground!_

But even as the thought crossed her minds, she skidded to a stop. In her sprint, her legs had taken her to the very tip of a tall precipice on which several tall trees were precariously holding onto with their tough roots.

There were snarls from behind, and Ariel quickly turned to see in the dimming light the dwarves already fighting wargs that had leapt upon them from behind.

They were well and indeed trapped.

Ariel looked back over the top of the cliff, and her heart sank further. There was no path of the high top she stood on. There was only a tremendous massive jump into oblivion.

Unless-

Ariel blinked as unbidden a small memory of hers played before her eyes. A small nine-year-old girl with dark red-brown hair, climbing up a tree to avoid getting picked on by several large hulking bullies in the school playground.

 _It probably won't achieve much but what choice do we have?_

Without waiting for anyone she quickly jumped up for the lowest foothold in the bark of the closest tree she could find.

Seeing her jump up Gandalf cried out.

"Up in the trees all of you! Climb!"

"Bilbo!" Ariel cried out in horror as she saw the poor hobbit look about in confusion, a bloodied sword in his hands. He had only just managed to tug the blade out of the head of an attacking warg only to find himself alone on the ground as the Dwarves hoisted themselves up into the surrounding trees.

He looked up at Ariel's voice as she quickly scrambled to the lower branches of a tree to his left and held out her hand.

The warg pack was almost upon him when he finally was pulled up onto the lowest branch.

"Quick get to the top-AH!" Ariel squeaked as a large set of snarling jaws snapped at the hem of her dress tugging it down.

"Hold on Lass" Oin yelled as he grabbed onto Ariel's arm and swiftly pulled her up.

Ariel winced as the snapping sounds told her that her dress was ripped once again.

Despite herself, she groaned with irritation. She already had that long slit along the side of both her green dress and the white petticoat underneath that revealed her leg. Also, she'd lost her hair tie so that her hair now flew all about her face in the cold wind and one of her sleeves was barely hanging on by two threads. All this, of course, was courtesy of the Great Goblin's rough handling. She was sure that by the time she was done with this quest she'd barely even have rags to wear.

 _Though would you prefer it if they ripped your legs off?_

She reasoned in her head as she and the others scrambled up into the trees. As she climbed, she could almost feel the tree beginning to keel over from the top from the combined strain of its carriers.

She gulped as she managed to hang onto a branch while pointing her staff towards the tree trunk.

She tried her best to concentrate on finding the roots; however the constant growling and howling from beneath her was proving to be a most unsettling and terrifying distraction.

Eventually, however she finally felt the tingle of energy flow through her and pushed the tip of her staff deeper into the wood.

"Come on" she grunted as she felt the roots react slowly to her powers. She'd managed to grow other plants fast so why wouldn't tree roots work?

She tried to concentrate harder on her powers but felt to her frustration something like a barrier.

 _No, come on don't block me out now-not now when we're all going to die!_

But even as she barely managed to dig in the foundations ever so slightly into the earth, there was a sudden silence from the Wargs and several gasps.

"Azog"

She looked up and saw that it was Thorin who had spoken, his voice breathless as he stared in horror at the Wargs in front of them.

Ariel turned, and her gut fell away into nothingness.

There stalking towards them from the top of a large boulder was a white warg, baring its teeth and snarling at them. Upon its back an orc, unlike any Ariel had ever seen so far, was sneering victoriously up at them all. He was as pale as the steed he rode, though many battle scars marred his skin. But what drew Ariel's attention the most was the fact that his left hand was not there. There was only a strange metal claw-like scrap of metal stuck crudely through the stump of flesh.

She shuddered as the pale orc spoke to the darkness of the night, his voice rough like stones and metal as he spoke in the black tongue of his kin.

"[Do you smell it? The scent of fear? I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain]"

"It cannot be" Thorin breathed, but already Azog was bellowing a command to his followers.

"[This one is mine. Kill the others!]"

There were many cries of fear as the warg pack suddenly charged forwards and swarmed about each one of the trees the company were taking refuge.

The could not climb very far, but still, they could jump just high enough to snap at those in the lower branches.

Ariel shrieked as one warg almost managed to grab hold of her foot in its massive jaws. She quickly struck at it with her staff, poking it in the eye and it fell, though it was replaced by another one of its fellows who crashed into the tree making it shake violently.

 _They're going to shake us off or topple it over!_

Ariel winced as more and more the Wargs' put their strength together to push against the large tree trunk.

"Be ready to jump lass!" she heard one of the dwarves shout at her, and she opened her eyes just in time as the tree began to tilt sideways.

With a cry, she leapt forwards onto the branches of the tree behind her only to feel that one tilt too.

 _Oh crap!_

She jumped again off to the next tree with the others, and the tree after that, and the tree after that one too, until she and all the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf were all clambering to the top of the single tree on the edge of the cliff.

Azog laughed with malicious delight as he caught sight of his terrified foes doing their best to climb higher up the tree like terrified birds.

"They're gonna push us over!" Ori yelled out as the tree gave a jerk backwards.

"Ariel!" Gandalf cried out as he stood from one of the topmost branches. "ARIEL use your powers and secure this tree! I'll try to get rid of the wargs."

"On it!" Ariel nodded before securing her feet on a branch. Once more she pressed her staff into the wood and focused as hard as she could.

However just like before it was difficult to get the roots to grow and it took all her energy and focused even to get them to move an inch, especially with all the noise about her.

 _Come on Ariel; you can do this…you can do this…just reach for the roots-just reach for it and…and-come on!_

Seeing his apprentice focus on her task, Gandalf turned back to his own as he grabbed a pinecone from a tree branch and held it up to his staff. With a couple of blows and whispers into the gem set in the tip, a red spark suddenly lit up. It caught onto the small pinecone, and at once the little globe turned into a tiny, fiery ball, which the wizard quickly flung down onto the wargs beneath.

It struck one hard on the shoulder, setting it's fur alight. It yelped in terror and pain barking and snapping at its concerned packmates before promptly diving into a bush. However, the bush itself caught the flame from the canine's back and also burned bright.

Seeing this new weapon, the dwarves and the hobbit's hearts soared and quickly Gandalf threw down to them their projectiles to fire.

The company all cheered as the wargs scattered and fell back with many loud barks and yelps and Azog roared in anger.

However, Ariel screamed, her voice a yell of terror and nightmares that made everyone's stomach's turn to ice.

The noise…the stench of the smog and smoke-

Despite her attempts to block it out, Ariel's mind suddenly geared straight into overdrive.

 _No-no-no! Don't think about that now! Don't go back there!_

But it was no use. She could see the flashes of bright light, could see the small girl screaming in the blaze as a wooden support beam fell burning to the ground.

 _"Mummy! Daddy!"_

The little girl was screeching and screaming as the fire leapt up high before her. It licked at her skin as she raised her hands to shield herself from the heat. Her throat burned her lungs were clogged; she couldn't see the way out…she could only see a few metres away, as a shadowy figure stalking towards her through the flickering light a mysterious figure with burning red eyes-

"NO!" Ariel cried out as with a hard, mental tug; she pulled her powers away from the tree, her mind suddenly snapping back to the present.

There were a shudder and a groan, and suddenly all the dwarves too were crying out as their tree, shaken too much by their movement began to keel over the side of the cliff to lie perpendicular to the cliff face.

As it fell, Ariel also felt her grip slip.

Desperately she grabbed hold of a tree branch only to hear a crack as the wood strained under her sudden weight.

She was going to fall again; only this time there was no way she would survive the drop.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she heard another small crack and groaned as the branch began to bend. She gripped the piece of wood tighter even though she knew it was of no use.

 _No, I have to live…I have to or else Ian won't…my mum and dad…oh please god…please let me live!_

"ARIEL!" she heard one of the dwarves' yell, but she was too terrified to respond or do anything else save hold on.

 _CRACK!_

"AHHH! AH!"

Ariel squeaked as suddenly she felt a rough hand grab onto her outstretched wrist fast and tight before she could drop even half a foot down.

It was with wide eyes that she recognised the leather bracers on the arm.

"Thorin" she gasped grasping for his hand.

"Don't worry, I've got you" Thorin grunted as he began to pull her upwards towards him.

The dwarf prince's grip tightened as he caught sight of the frightened, pleading look over the young girl's face. It was just as scared as when she had been about to fall off the mountain cliff.

"I'm sorry Thorin" she blubbered as she clung on to his hand "I'm sorry I couldn't hold onto-I couldn't-"

"Shh…I've got you, Ariel, just hold on" Thorin murmured as he managed to pull her up far enough for both his arms to grab her shoulders.

Before that moment he had always thought how pitiful it was that she was such a skinny girl, but now he could not have been more grateful for her lighter build as he managed to drape her securely over a much stronger branch without much trouble.

His hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as she managed to secure her feet on the branches below her. She did not thank him aloud, but her brown-green eyes were wells of both relief and gratitude as she clung on to the tree-branch, her staff in her hand glowing dimly as she seemed to calm down.

But even as she regained her grip on her new post, Ariel looked up, and her heart sank.

Thorin followed her gaze silently and found that they were resting upon Azog's distant figure flickering horribly in the firelight. Thorin's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of his nemesis's pale eyes roving the rest of the tree, to the other members of the company as they struggled for their lives to hold on.

Most of them were like Ariel, clinging on securely onto the branches but there were few like Nori and Ori who were barely hanging on for dear life.

Azog chuckled as he caught sight of the girl the dwarf was still holding secure his lip curled up into a sneer.

 _So noble Oakenshield._

He smirked wickedly.

 _But still so weak._

Thorin's entire body tensed as the pale orc nodded wordlessly towards the dwarf reining in his white warg

"Stay here" he growled softly before standing to his feet.

"No Thorin-!"

Ariel struggled as she held onto her branch, terror flooding through her as she watched the Dwarf prince stride down the tree trunk and back onto the solid ground before the fire.

She looked across from her spot to Bilbo who was also hanging just on the opposite side of the tree trunk across from her. His eyes too were wide and terrified as he watched Thorin unsheathe Orcrist and brandish it before him.

As he ran into the flames, he picked up a large tree branch in one arm holding it almost like a shield as Azog's warg steed reared and pounced upon him from its vantage point.

Thorin fell to the ground as the warg's claws scratched him hard over the shoulder.

He clambered clumsily to his feet as the warg made to turn about however he was too late, and once more he was thrown back as Azog swiped his spiked mace at him, this time hitting him squarely in the chest.

"NO!" Balin shouted along with the others as they saw him fall back down, his head hitting the ground hard.

Ariel, however, could not find the voice to scream as she watched horrified at what was unfolding before her. Azog's warg, which was as great as a lion in size, had taken Thorin's body in its mouth and sunk its teeth into him. The jaw was so strong that the fangs sliced straight into his armour like a knife through soft butter.

Thorin in his pain and shock did his best to strike at the beast and managed to hit it squarely between the eyes with the hilt of his sword. The warg roared in pain as it flung him aside.

However, the damage had been done, and Thorin now lay sprawled on the ground unmoving.

"[Bring me the Dwarf's head]" Azog smirked coldly to an orc that had just ridden up by his side.

The evil creature snickered as it dismounted its mount and unsheathed its ugly dark blade from its hip.

There were cries of despair and of outrage from the dwarves as they watched on in horror, unable to move as their leader lay unconscious and unaware of his impending death.

 _No this can't be how it ends; it just can't!_

"THORIN!" Ariel screeched through tears of panic and terror "THORIN! COME ON YOU MORON! YOU IDIOT GET UP! GET UP! HE'S GONNA KILL YOU! YOU HAVE TO GET UP! THORIN!"

 _By Mahal, for a small person, she has a set of lungs on her._

Thorin's head lolled to the side as he stirred, just in time to see the orc advancing upon him.

His eyes darted to his sides. Orcrist was just there, just barely out of his outstretched fingers reach. He twitched and struggled to reach, but his body was almost spent.

But even as his fingers scraped the pommel of the hilt the edge of a blade came level with his throat.

He glared defiantly up at the orc standing over him as it raised its sword high above its head ready to strike.

 _Wham!_

The body of someone small had hurtled sidelong into the orc at a run and had shoved it out of the way.

In the later days following, Ariel would describe that the moment she saw the face of Thorin's saviour would perhaps be the most surprising memory of her life.

It was not one of the dwarves, nor was it the wizard or a great hero…but a hobbit of the shire who wielded a small but bright sword in his hands and a heart that was by far larger than many fully-grown people she'd ever met.

"Bilbo…" Ariel breathed as she watched in awe as the halfling ran his blade through the orc that had raised his sword to his friend.

As soon as he was dead, Bilbo quickly stumbled to his feet to stand in-between Azog and his prey.

The Pale Orc, who had just looked just as surprised as everyone else, was now snarling with hateful venom as he looked upon Bilbo who swung his sword wildly in an amateur attempt to ward off the snapping wargs before him.

The Halfling had come between him and his prey…and that would certainly not do at all.

"[kill him]"

Ariel did not need a translation to understand the order that left the Orc leader's scarred lips, and it was with a great effort that she raised her staff.

 _Please work! Please. You've gotta work now!_

She begged as she pointed the glowing green gem into the wood.

 _…you've got to protect them._

And then suddenly it was as if something like a wall had been lifted as her power suddenly shot straight down the length of the tree and right into the earth in a flash of light just as the first warg rider bore down on Bilbo.

At the same moment, the other few orcs and wargs with them fell back as several of the dwarves rushed forwards in a charge led by Dwalin, Fili and Kili.

Ariel struggled up onto the tree trunk, her body aching but her mind suddenly alight with determination and renewed hope as she saw many of their attackers retreating in surprise, some accidentally burning themselves to death in the flames around them while others were hewn down by swords and axes.

Of all the orcs, Azog was by far the least scathed by flame or weapon for his attentions were focused on hunting and stalking Bilbo who had fallen back down to the ground in fear, still in front of Thorin's lifeless body.

She didn't know whether it was because of the flames or because of the new cut above her eye bleeding down her face, but suddenly Ariel saw red.

With a roar, she sprang to her feet and fired a burst of magic straight at Azog that sent both him and his white warg flying backwards into a tree.

However, Ariel did not have time to observe her victory. Not when a great feathery mass descended, and two large claws suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her into the air.

Bilbo gaped in absolute astonishment as a great massive bird greater than any warg they had ever encounter swooped down from on high and seized the young girl in its talons before lifting promptly into the air.

As the eagle screeched the sound rent the air like an ancient war cry as an entire flock descended from on high and down into the fiery mass of trees.

Many were grasping at the wargs and orcs and tossing them over the cliff. Others were grasping at the trees or fanning the flames onto those enemies that remained earthbound. The rest meanwhile were picking up the dwarves and tossing them down onto other eagle's backs, as the first one had just done to Ariel who squeaked as she landed on a mass of feathers covering the muscle.

She gripped the neck of the great bird hard with her fingers, gasping in shock as she looked about.

 _Oh my god, what the hell just happened? Am I flying on a giant bird! No, wait-the others!_

"No, my friends-"

But even as she cried out, the eagle she rode tilted its wings gently in the air, and it circled back around to face the cliff.

Ariel gaped as she saw one by one each of her friends be picked up by birds from off the cliff face.

 _One…two…four…seven…twelve…fourteen-and me that's fifteen…but wait-GAH!_

She held on for dear life as the bird she was on suddenly swooped down into a very steep dive.

 _HOLY SHIT-HOLY SHIT!_

She screamed as the bird began to pull up sharply at one of the cliff edges. With a great flap of its wings, it increased the drag of air and slowed down enough to slip its talons over something before lifting once more into the air.

Ariel had to gulp down bile in her throat as the eagle's flapping wings made the bird bounce up and down in continuous almost sickening patterns as it rode the wind, far away from danger…and even further away from the mountains.

Meanwhile back on the ground Azog the pale orc had finally rid himself of the tight bonds of ivy that had imprisoned both him and his warg against the burning tree. With a growl, he winced as tendrils of dark blood dribbled down his exposed pale flesh from where his bindings sharp thorns had pricked painfully at his skin like tiny needles.

When he looked up into the sky, he was just in time to see the great eagles and their passengers ascend into the night sky and beyond reach.

 _They are gone._

His grip on his mace in his only hand tightened as his teeth bared into a growl

 _THEY ESCAPED!_

He tried to take a step forward only to be tugged back by a small rope of vines still tied about his wrist.

 _That witch._

He snarled to himself. There were very few people with power in the world like this.

He looked about at the bodies of the fallen followers who lay burning amongst the flames.

 _A Halfling and a woman did that._

It seemed he had underestimated Thorin Oakensheild's alliances.

 _But no more._

Azog tugged harshly at his organic bonds, and they broke…along with his temper.

No one got in the way between Azog the Defiler and his prey!

"[Thorin Oakenshield!]" He roared into the darkness in his foul tongue "[You shall burn! You, your friends, your Halfling and your Green Witch! You all will burn!] RAGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

The shadow of Dol Guldor had been growing darker day by day. But nothing could compare to the howling darkness that surrounded the ancient ruins now even as the pale light of dawn peeked over the horizon.

Even the elves felt it in their halls of Mirkwood. Something had disturbed the peace. Something evil and it was slowly seeping into the woods beyond the ancient ruin's borders.

One elf, a tall female with vibrant red hair and a fair face, could feel such enmity about her as she looked down on the gigantic dead spider that lay a few feet away.

Its black blood drenched her sword and made the metal of it glimmer oddly as she sheathed it.

"[Filthy spider]" the elf woman spat in her smooth tongue just as someone's footsteps came up behind her. She quickly turned about drawing a bow and an arrow as swiftly as the wind, only to stop dead when she saw her would be victim.

It was a male elf, with long silvery blonde hair and bright blue eyes wearing all green like her.

"[Careful Tauriel]" he smirked as he looked down the length of the arrow facing him. "[You wouldn't want to shoot the royal prince down now would you?]"

Tauriel snorted however lowered her bow down gently and turned back to the spider.

"[One cannot be too careful out here Legolas. Especially with these monsters roaming the forest]"

"[You made quick work of it]" Legolas nodded with admiration as he inspected the wounds on the dead creature.

Tauriel opened her mouth to speak but as she looked up her words faltered in her mouth.

"Tauriel?" Legolas quickly straightened up looking about them warily and placing a hand on his bow and quiver. But the female elf merely shook her head and tugged his arm down.

"[no look]" she pointed into the trees.

There standing just several meters away in the thicket was a white hart, tall and with a full pair of antlers set high upon its head like two great branches of trees.

It gazed at Legolas and Tauriel for a moment, its dark eyes assessing with a piercing stare, before quickly darting off into the forest.

Wordlessly the two elves darted forwards

Such creatures rarely appeared in this part of the vast forest, especially in these dark times and so it was with great excitement that they came upon the spot in which it stood. However, as they came upon the spot, they were astonished to find nothing was there.

Not even a leaf on the ground was out of place. It was like nothing had ever moved in that spot.

"[A trick of the light? Or perhaps the enemy is now trying to lure us into a trap]" Tauriel suggested though Legolas was already seething.

"[No! It must have been here for a reason. A pure creature like this never shows itself in places of such evil unless…. unless…]"

His voice fell away as he looked down to the undergrowth.

Tauriel looked down too, and her eyes widened in shock.

Where they had thought was only dead and sickly dark leaves a little flower was blossoming. Its petals were of the purest white, and its stem was thornless and whole even as it peeked out from the dark, harsh forest undergrowth.

"[But…]" Legolas breathed as he looked at the other almost dead plants about him and his friend "[but what does this even mean?]"

"[Maybe…]" Tauriel smiled gently as she crouched down to caress the plant's petals "[maybe it means there is hope yet for us]"

"[Hope?]" Legolas snorted "[hope from where? It is just one flower Tauriel]"

"[One from thousands]" Tauriel nodded "[but still one strong enough to push through on its own. And such strength and purity is precious and should not be lost or left behind to wither in the darkness]"

Legolas watched curiously as with gentle hands Tauriel scooped up the small flower, roots and all and deposited it safely into a small pouch on her side.

For some reason he could not fathom, he had a feeling that this plant no matter how small had just drawn them into something far more significant than they could ever have dreamed. Though what it was the elvish prince had no idea, though he was to learn.

* * *

Ariel should have sighed with relief as she felt the first rays of the morning sun hit her face as it rose over the tops of the misty mountains.

But she could not. Not when Thorin Oakenshield was half dying in the talons of the great eagle she was riding.

She gripped her staff tight trying her hardest to resist the urge to look down. She wanted desperately to see if the dwarf was alright; however she was also very much terrified of seeing the massive drop between her steed and the earth below.

She'd almost dropped off two cliffs within twenty-four hours she didn't think she could handle the terror of dangling for her life another time. At least not for a few more days.

Instead, she looked sideways at the birds that flew around her. From the horrified faces of the dwarves, she figured that Thorin was looking in a rather terrible shape.

 _But he can't be dead. He can't be._

But what if he was killed? Or worse, what if he was alive but would never wake up or open his eyes?

"I'm sorry Thorin…" she murmured tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry…you were right…I was an idiot. I was a stupid, naive idiot who thought I could help. But what have I done up to now? Just caused trouble and been a big smart arse. But when the time came that you needed my help, I just crumbled. You may be a stubborn ass sometimes, but I was wrong to compare you to that dragon. Please Thorin, forgive me, and please don't be dead."

Ariel's grip on the soft dark feathers tightened, as she bent her head down to rest against the eagle's neck, her hair whipping out behind her, tangled by the breeze.

The faces of Bilbo and the other dwarves about her fell as they heard the small sob carry on the wind.

Gandalf himself sighed heavily. While he was relieved to hear that Ariel had made her peace with the dwarf prince it nearly broke the wizard's heart that it had to happen after such drastic circumstances. After all, the girl was still at a young tender age, and while she'd already dealt with the loss of her brother, he doubted that she would be able to deal with the loss of someone else dear to her.

 _And neither would Fili or Kili or even Bilbo for that matter_

He reasoned as he looked upon the two brothers and the hobbit who were all watching the eagle carrying Thorin with fear and anxiety.

The other elder dwarves, however, were looking far more despairing, for many of them had seen wars and much death and while the loss of their prince was a devastating blow to them all, they knew that some things in life were inevitable.

 _But Thorin's not dead yet_

The wizard's hand on his staff clenched tight. He could still sense Thorin's life flowing within him, though it was holding on by the barest of threads.

He was relieved when he felt the eagle beneath him tilt downwards as they passed over the last outpost of the misty mountains and down over towards a great stony peak that stood in the centre of a large wood.

The Carrock of the eagles was an excellent vantage point even in the Misty Mountains. Though open on top it commanded a broad view of the vast expanses of Wilderland, Mirkwood and the River Anduin of whose upper reaches ran fast and powerfully through the lands below.

Ariel, while knowledgeable about the key plot points of Tolkien's works, did not know this nor did she care about her location as the great eagle she rode, descended upon the Carrock.

In a small hop, it deposited Thorin's body gently upon the large slab of rock before tilting its neck down for Ariel to slide smoothly down.

Her feet had barely scraped the surface of the rock when she fell to her knees beside Thorin.

She tried to take deep, steadying breaths as she pressed her fingers to his neck, feeling about for a pulse. However, she could feel nothing.

 _No don't panic, don't panic, check his wrist_

But even as she inhaled a deep shuddering breath, she bit her lip. The bracers over his arms were thick leather and very difficult to shift away from his wrists.

"Come on you bloody bastard-come on just give me a heartbeat or something" she sniffled angrily as she quickly leant down and pressed her ear over his chest.

 _Thump-thump…thump-thump_

Ariel's breath caught in her throat, and she looked up just in time to hear footsteps come up behind her.

It was Gandalf and the dwarves.

"Thorin" the wizard cried out as he knelt by the dwarf prince, just as Balin snatched Ariel up from the ground and held her back securely by the shoulders.

"He'll be alright lass" the old dwarf muttered softly he patted her trembling back gently. "He'll be alright."

"He better be" Ariel whispered as she gulped down the lump in her throat.

She felt a warmth about her hand as it was taken by Kili who was standing beside her along with Fili whose face was pale.

She squeezed the dwarf's hand back tight as she watched Gandalf murmur something softly under his breath as he hovered his hand over Thorin's face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dwarves and the wizard, Bilbo watched on his face a mask of worry and guilt.

He felt like he was intruding on a very private family moment and yet he felt as if he too should have been included.

 _But who am I really to them?_

He thought bitterly.

 _I'm just another piece of baggage…I'm not-_

But then suddenly the hobbit's thoughts stopped entirely as a pair of deep blue eyes slid open and a gasp of breath was released.

 _Oh, thank god!_

Ariel sighed with relief, pinching the bridge of her nose to stem her tears as Thorin murmured hoarsely to Gandalf.

"The…the Halfling"

"It's alright" Gandalf assured him gently "Bilbo is here. He's quite safe."

Bilbo seemed to sigh in relief but then quickly stumbled as Thorin suddenly rolled over and began to scramble to his feet, his face livid.

"You!" Thorin barked at the hobbit who was looking bewilderedly up at him as he stalked forwards slowly "What were you doing? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"No Thorin-" Ariel tried to baulk forwards only to be held back by many hands.

Thorin, however, ignored her his eyes narrowed upon Bilbo who was now looking down at his own furry feet in guilt and shame.

"Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the Wild? That you had no place amongst us?... I have never been so wrong in all my life!"

 _Hold on a moment-What the F-!_

Ariel's eyes bulged out of their sockets, and her jaw dropped as Thorin Oakenshield wrapped both his arms about Bilbo and hugged him tightly.

Bilbo himself looked very confused but also immensely relieved when the dwarves all about them began to laugh and cheer at the gesture.

Gandalf also smiled warmly as Bilbo gingerly returned the gesture with a soft pat on the back before he was released from the hold by the dwarf prince who made to grumble softly.

"I am sorry I doubted you."

"No, I would have doubted me too" Bilbo admitted, "I'm not a hero, or a warrior or sorcerer…I'm not even a burglar" he added much to the amusement of the others.

Even Thorin managed a small smile.

The only one of them who didn't smile was Ariel…but that wasn't because she wasn't happy.

"Is that…" she breathed before quickly darting out in front, past everyone to stand at the head of the Carrock. "Is that what I think it is?"

Everyone turned to see what she was looking at and whatever comments or words they had been about to utter die in their throats.

There far in the distance but standing very tall was the shadow of a single mountain with a sharp snow-capped point.

"Erebor," Gandalf nodded as he looked out over the great view before him "The Lonely Mountain the last of the Great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home" Thorin smiled as he looked upon the silhouette of the old kingdom in the distance just as a bird twittered overhead.

They all looked up, however instead of seeing a giant eagle, they saw a tiny bird, flittering and swooping gracefully through the air and singing joyfully as it steered itself in the direction of the mountain.

"A raven" Oin chuckled "The birds are returning to the mountain."

"A raven?" Ariel squinted "That doesn't look like any raven I've ever seen."

"That's because it isn't" Gandalf snorted "that dear Oin is a thrush."

"But we'll take it as a sign" Thorin nodded in the direction of the mountain "A good omen."

"You're right" Bilbo agreed warmly "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"NO!" Ariel suddenly cried out "Don't say that!"

"And why not?" Thorin looked up surprised at the girl who raised her eyebrows in return.

"Uh maybe perhaps because after the _last_ person said that we had a giant goblin king crash down on top of us and nearly squash us to death?"

"Well aren't you a cheerful ray of sunshine this morning" Thorin snorted and Ariel rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to retort only for Gandalf to suddenly snap.

"Oh for goodness sake will the two of you ever stop this petty arguing?"

" _He_ started it?"

"And _you're_ continuing it so who's being a petty chi-"

"Thorin Oakenshield if you want to live don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"And here we go again" Balin pinched the bridge of his nose as Fili and Kili both exchanged small sniggers of amusement.

"Told you it would happen, now pay up" Bofur muttered to Gloin who rolled his eyes as he begrudgingly handed over a couple of silver coins.

Meanwhile, Bilbo was chuckling under his breath.

 _We have barely been in safety for more than ten minutes, and already you both are arguing once more. This must be a new record._


End file.
